New Delhi: The next cup of tea served at a government meeting may not be just any tea. It could be Yule Tea.

In a move that blends public policy with a cup of chai, the Ministry of Heavy Industries has asked ministries and departments across the Centre to serve Yule Tea, the tea brand produced by state-owned Andrew Yule & Company, at official meetings, canteens, conferences and government functions.

The idea is simple: if government departments can support a government-owned tea company, it could provide a much-needed boost to a struggling public sector enterprise that produces premium Darjeeling, Assam and Dooars teas.

Andrew Yule, a CPSE under the Ministry of Heavy Industries, owns 15 tea estates across Assam and West Bengal. Despite producing Orthodox, CTC, Green and flavoured teas, and even supplying tea to Parliament through the Tea Board, the company continues to face financial challenges.

The proposal follows recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Industry, which suggested wider adoption of the PSU’s products across government institutions.

Beyond business, the move has a social objective too. The ministry says stronger demand for Yule Tea could help protect livelihoods in tea-growing regions, particularly benefiting women and SC/ST workers employed in remote parts of Assam and West Bengal.

The timing is interesting. Just days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during Mann Ki Baat, described tea as more than a beverage and spoke about its role in bringing people together, the government is now exploring a way to make a public sector tea brand a familiar presence across its own offices.

The proposal has already generated smiles in bureaucratic circles.

If it goes through, the answer to “Which tea are we serving?” at government meetings may finally be a simple one: the government’s own.

BI Bureau