Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma gave seed capital checks worth Rs 10,000 each to 21,198 enterprising women from the Chabua-Lahowal Assembly Constituency in Dibrugarh district and 22,069 women from the Makum Assembly Constituency in Tinsukia district on Tuesday as part of the State Government's ambitious Chief Minister's Mahila Udyamita Abhiyan, which aims to empower women in the state.
There are 20,575 rural and 623 urban beneficiaries in the Chabua-Lahowal constituency. Of the Makum constituency's recipients, 1,169 are from urban regions and 20,900 are from rural areas.
Speaking at two different public gatherings held on this occasion at the Dinjoy Tea Garden playground in Chabua and the Janamukh playground in Tinsukia, Chief Minister Sarma said that 15 lakh enterprising women from 55 Assembly Constituencies of the state have already received the first installment check of Rs 10,000 under the ambitious scheme undertaken by the State Government with the goal of making the women of the state financially self-reliant. The remaining beneficiaries will shortly.
He stated that the ladies who have benefited from this fund have used it appropriately and have engaged in many useful endeavors. The chief minister expressed optimism that the ladies in the Makum and Chabua-Lahowal seats will make full use of this grant. He claimed that the Rs 10,000 check given out today is only the start of the program and that it will go on until every member woman is a Lakhpati Baideo.
He pointed out that by taking out loans from banks or Self-Help Groups (SHGs), participating in a variety of productive activities, and succeeding, more than eight lakh women in Assam had already acquired the rank of Lakhpati Baideo. According to him, some of these women have even earned above Rs 10 lakh a year, making them Maha Lakhpati Baideo.
He cited Anita Sahu, a member of the Mala SHG of Dikom Bazar under the Chabua Development Block, as an example of a successful woman entrepreneur from the Chabua-Lahowal constituency who has been able to provide for her family financially by starting a beauty salon and cosmetics company.
With the help of her SHG's collective investment fund of Rs 5,000 and a bank linkage loan of Rs 1.80 lakh, Anita Sahu was able to grow her business and make about Rs 25,000 a month, or almost Rs 3 lakh a year.
