Analysing Citizen-centric Administration in the Context of Assam with Special Reference to Assam Chah Bagicha Dhan Puraskar Scheme

Abstract

Citizen-centric administration is one of the significant components of good governance. Public administration in India has been trying to provide different measures for the welfare of marginalised and disadvantaged sections of the society. Tea-garden workers of Assam are significantly in a disadvantaged position since the colonial period. Low wages, poverty, illiteracy and poor socio-economic conditions of the tea-garden workers of Assam have further pushed them into a marginalised state. Therefore, the Government of Assam has adopted different welfare mechanisms for the upliftment of the tea-garden workers of the State. It is in this context that the present study tries to analyse the role of the Assam Chah Bagicha Dhan Puraskar Scheme (Tea Garden Financial Incentive Scheme) primarily aimed at financial inclusion of the tea-garden workers of Assam as a step-forward to citizen-centric administration. This article also highlights the perception and challenges of the tea-garden workers while accessing the financial inclusion measure in their respective tea estates.