How Assam’s sisters are rewriting the State’s economic script

Post-covid Assam has been one of the fastest-growing states in India, with a nominal rate of growth of 13 per cent in 2024-25 and average per capita income growth of more than 10 per cent over the past 3 years. While the pursuit of sustained growth is often seen to be driven by industrial corridors and infrastructure, the most potent lever for growth in modern Assam is not made of steel or concrete, but of “Nari Shakti.”

Data from the most recent Annual Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) reveal a dramatic acceleration in women’s economic engagement. By 2023-24, Assam’s overall Female LFPR surged to 50.2per cent, a figure that stands in stark contrast to the national average of 41.7per cent. This momentum is most visible in rural areas where participation jumped from a modest 29per cent in 2021-22 to a staggering 52.8per cent by 2023-24. (Assam Economic Survey, 2025-26)

As the state aims to become a USD 143 billion economy by 2030, the transition of women from passive beneficiaries of welfare to active economic agents has seen to be moving from the periphery to the very heart of the state’s economic strategy. With a female labour force participation rate (FLFPR) that now significantly outstrips the national average, Assam is charting a unique course of empowerment that balances quantitative surges with the need for deep, qualitative structural shifts.

The rise in FLFPR is not merely a product of business-as-usual trends but the outcome of deliberate and targeted policy interventions. The flagship Mukhyamantri Mahila Udyamita Abhiyaan (MMUA), popularly known as the “Lakhpati Baideu” mission, represents one of the most ambitious attempts to formalise rural entrepreneurship in India’s history. Targeting 40 lakh women associated with Self-Help Groups (SHGs), the mission aims to ensure an annual income of at least Rs 1 lakh for every member.

As of early 2026, 8.8 lakh women have already achieved this “Lakhpati” status. Success stories from districts like Nalbari and Sivasagar showcase the potential of this model: women like Bijumoni Devi are earning INR 1.80 lakh annually through pickle-making, while others like Anita Thakuriya have reached incomes of INR 2.23 lakh through animal husbandry. The program follows a structured approach, starting with Rs 10,000 seed capital and progressing to INR 50,000 based on performance, shifting the narrative from one-time grants to sustained business growth. Also, empowerment in Assam is increasingly being defined by the removal of operational barriers to human capital. The “Nijut Moina” scheme 2.0 aims to provide monthly stipends to over 10 lakh girl students, bridging down the gap of the financial agent, which directly impacts educational continuity. (The Hindu, 2026)

No reason for complacency

Although recent data point to a rise in FLFPR, this is not always an unambiguously positive development. In many cases, an increase in female labour force participation is interpreted as a sign of household distress, where stagnating or inadequate male wages compel women to enter the workforce to supplement family income. Moreover, a look beyond the headline numbers shows participation spike is almost entirely driven by a massive shift into self-employment. In rural Assam, the share of women engaged in self-sustained ventures skyrocketed from 18.5 per cent to 77.3 per cent over a seven-year period from 2017-18 to 2023-24. A distress sign also comes from the data that salaried positions in rural women fell from 58.8 per cent to just 15.2 per cent (IWWAGE, 2025). To ensure that this is not merely “distress entrepreneurship” driven by compulsion, the state must focus on scaling these micro-activities into viable, high-growth rural enterprises. Even if the current rise in LFPR is partly distress-led, policy should aim to create conditions that enable women to remain in the labour force, sustain gainful employment, and contribute meaningfully to the economy, while simultaneously strengthening their economic agency.

Way forward

There are clear pathways to make this happen. Women’s Capability Index (WCI) indicates that 31per cent of women in Assam still experience multidimensional deprivation in health, dignity, and autonomy.

A critical barrier is the prevalence of anaemia, which affects 65.9 per cent of women aged 15-49, making Assam one of the most impacted states in the country. This health crisis is a serious concern, as calculations suggest that anaemia among females in India is estimated to cost nearly 1.2 per cent of the country’s GDP. (Government of Assam, Women’s Conditions in Assam, 2025)

Furthermore, safety remains a primary concern for workforce entry. Approximately 12per cent of women feel unsafe while using public transport, with the fear being significantly more acute in rural enclaves (14 per cent) compared to urban centres (7 per cent). (DES Assam, 2025) In such a scenario, true empowerment, therefore, requires a “Credit-Plus” approach, which pairs financial capital with improved health outcomes, safer transit corridors, and also dismantling of the gendered care burden that keeps millions of women at home.

While Assam’s GSDP has expanded by 45per cent over the last five years, far outpacing the national average of 29per cent, the state’s vision of a USD 143 billion economy rests also on the continued mobilisation of the women empowerment schemes put forth.

By focusing and leveraging the state’s traditional family value systems and also aggressively tackling modern infrastructural and health deficits, Assam is proving that gender-responsive policy is one of the most effective forms of economic stimulus. The transformation is already visible; the challenge now is to ensure it becomes universal.

Authors are Research Assistant and Research Associate respectively, associated with Pahle India Foundation; views are personal