Guwahati, January 13 (IANS) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said that at least 8 lakh women in the state connected with Self-Help Groups (SHGs) have become “Lakhpati Baideus ”.

The Lakhpati Baideo Scheme is a flagship initiative of the Assam government aimed at economically empowering women, particularly those associated with self-help groups (SHGs).

The scheme seeks to enable women to achieve an annual income of at least Rs 1 lakh through sustainable livelihood activities. By providing financial assistance, skill development, market linkage and handholding support, the scheme focuses on strengthening rural entrepreneurship in sectors such as agriculture, livestock, weaving, food processing and small-scale enterprises.

While attending a government function in the Cachar district today, Sarma said, “Out of 40 lakh women associated with Self-Help Groups in Assam, 8 lakh have already become Lakhpati Baideus, while the mission aims to transform the remaining 32 lakh women into self-reliant entrepreneurs.”

The Chief Minister today launched the distribution of cheques under the Chief Minister’s Women Entrepreneurship Mission in Karimganj North Legislative Assembly Constituency of Sribhumi district and Katigorah and Barkhola Legislative Assembly Constituencies of Cachar district.

Under the programme, 14,135 women beneficiaries from Karimganj North, 18,578 from Katigorah and 19,756 from Barkhola received entrepreneurship seed capital of Rs. 10,000 each. With this, a total of 19,40,715 women across 80 Legislative Assembly Constituencies of the state have been covered under the mission so far.

Addressing a large public meeting at the DSA Playground in Sribhumi district, the Chief Minister said the State Government has decided to provide Rs 10,000 each as seed capital to 32 lakh women under the mission, involving an expenditure of Rs 3,200 crore.

He informed that Karimganj North has 2,039 “Lakhpati Baideus” and highlighted the top 20 highest-earning women entrepreneurs from the constituency.

Explaining the utilisation of the seed capital, Sarma said that if women deposit the first instalment in their Self-Help Groups, a collective corpus of Rs 1 lakh can be created. This fund can be used to start collective enterprises, invest in individual businesses, or expand existing family ventures.

He added that the government would assess fund utilisation after six months. Women who utilise the initial assistance effectively would become eligible for further support of Rs 25,000 and Rs 50,000 in subsequent phases.

The Chief Minister announced that an additional 2,000 beneficiaries in the constituency would be covered under the Orunodoi scheme and said Orunodoi beneficiaries would receive Rs. 8,000 each on February 20. He also announced an allocation of Rs. 10 crore for the improvement of the DSA Playground.

The Chief Minister stated that the government has ensured the supply of almost all essential commodities for the people and noted that Assam has made significant progress towards becoming a developed state.

–IANS

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