Assam CM empowers 52,000 women with entrepreneurship seed capital
In a major push toward rural self-reliance, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday spearheaded the distribution of entrepreneurship seed capital under the Chief Minister’s Women Entrepreneurship Mission across three key constituencies: Karimganj North (Sribhumi), Katigorah and Barkhola (Cachar). A total of 52,469 women from these regions received Rs 10,000 each to kickstart their entrepreneurial journeys. The Chief Minister highlighted that this mission has now reached over 19.4 lakh women across 80 constituencies, part of a massive Rs 3,200 crore State investment aimed at empowering 32 lakh women to become “Lakhpati Baideus.
“Addressing a massive gathering at the DSA Playground in Sribhumi, Sarma emphasised the strategic use of these funds. He encouraged women to pool their resources within Self-Help Groups (SHGs) to create collective corpuses for larger ventures. “Our goal is simple: transform individual effort into sustainable business. Those who utilise this initial seed capital effectively will be eligible for further phases of Rs 25,000 and Rs 50,000,” he Stated. The Chief Minister also shared impressive statistics from the ground, noting that Karimganj North, Katigorah, and Barkhola already boast thousands of “Lakhpati Baideus” — women earning over Rs 1 lakh annually. He celebrated the top earners in each constituency as role models for the community.
Beyond entrepreneurship, the CM announced a significant expansion of the Orunodoi scheme, with 2,000 new beneficiaries in each constituency set to receive Rs 8,000 on February 20. He also looked toward the future of education and welfare, announcing the launch of the “Babu Scheme” for students on February 1 and committing Rs 10 crore for the upgrade of the DSA Playground. During his visit, Sarma also paid a solemn tribute to the late veteran leader and former Union Minister Kabindra Purkayastha at his Silchar residence, offering condolences to the bereaved family. The programme was attended by Ministers Kaushik Rai and Krishnendu Paul, Member of Parliament Parimal Suklabaidya, MLAs Mihir Kanti Som, Dipayan Chakraborty, Nihar Ranjan Das and Misbaul Islam Laskar, Director of the Assam State Rural Livelihoods Mission Kuntalmoni Sharma Bordoloi, officials of the Panchayat and Rural Development Department, district administration officials, dignitaries and beneficiary women.
