Assam CM unveils bust of Maniram Dewan at Guwahati Tea Auction Centre, attends Special Charity Tea Auction

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today unveiled a bust of Maniram Dewan, the first Indian tea planter at Guwahati Tea Auction Centre in Dispur.
“As Assam celebrates 200 years of Assam Tea, it is fitting that we honour the first Indian tea planter and freedom fighter Maniram Dewan. Today, I unveiled his bust at the Gauhati Tea Auction Centre as a tribute to his lasting legacy,” Sarma said.
I”n Assam, we continue to honour Vikas and Virasat,” he said.
Chief Minister Sarma also attended the Special Charity Tea Auction for the aid of Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, Assam at the tea auction centre. The charity auction raised over Rs 2.26 crore for flood relief in the state.
The charity auction, organised by the Tea Association of India (TAI), saw tea producers, buyers, brokers and warehouses join hands to raise funds for the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, Assam. During the auction, Sarma hammered 12 ceremonial tea lots.
The auction attracted buyers from across the country, including Mumbai, Surat, Ahmedabad and Delhi. Among the leading buyers were Society Tea, which purchased tea worth Rs 26.10 lakh, Wagh Bakri (Rs 24.04 lakh), Today Tea (Rs 15.10 lakh), Jivraj Tea (Rs 13 lakh) and Uphaar (Rs 12.24 lakh).
The event was also attended by Minister for Transformation and Development, Labour Welfare and Tea Tribes and Adivasi Welfare Rameswar Teli, Chief Secretary Ravi Kota and senior government officials.
Tea industry representatives, including TAI president S. Mehta, Dhunseri CMD C. K. Dhanuka, FAITTA chairman Paras Desai and senior tea producers and buyers, also took part in the auction.
TAI senior vice-president Mohit Agarwal said the response from the tea trade had been overwhelming, particularly from buyers who travelled from outside Assam to support the relief effort.
The fund-raising effort involved the wider tea auction chain. Producers contributed tea, brokers waived brokerage charges, participating warehouses waived warehousing charges, while GTAC facilitated the special auction.