The Assam government has announced a bonus of 20 per cent for workers of tea gardens under the Assam Tea Corporation Limited (ATCL), an official release said on Sunday.

The bonus is in keeping with the government's commitment towards the welfare of the tea garden community and upliftment of the tea sector in Assam, the release said.

All workers of the state-owned tea gardens under ATCL would now be eligible for the bonus, it said.

The bonus comes at a time when whole of Assam is gearing up for the Durga Puja and tea garden workers notably celebrate this festival in all its traditional fervor. It has been a custom for the government to give bonus ahead of Durga Puja to these tea garden workers from a long time now.

The ATCL has 15 tea gardens and around 16,748 workers, it added.