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DHUBRI: Dhubri District Guardian Minister Ranjeet Kumar Dass distributed cheques to beneficiaries of the Chief Minister’s Women Entrepreneurship Scheme at Raja Prabhat Chandra Baruah Playground in Dhubri district on Monday. In this event, 9,433 women members from Self-Help Groups under the 4-Dhubri Legislative Assembly Constituency were each provided with cheques of Rs 10,000.
The programme was attended by Additional Chief Secretary of Panchayat & Rural Development B Kalyan Chakravarty, Commissioner of the Assam State Commission for Right to Public Services and Independent Director of NTPC Green Energy Limited Bimal Oswal, Chairperson of Dhubri-Gauripur District Development Authority Deepak Kumar Saha, Chief Executive Member of Kamatapur Autonomous Council Jibesh Roy, Chairman of Dhubri Municipal Board Debomoy Sanyal, Deputy Commissioner of Dhubri Dibakar Nath, along with several other prominent citizens, social workers, administrative officials, ward commissioners, and members of Self-Help Groups.
In his address, the Minister stated that under the leadership of Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, a strong focus had been laid on the empowerment and overall development of women and that various schemes and initiatives had been implemented to realize this goal. Over 30 lakh women have benefitted through the Chief Minister’s Women Entrepreneurship Scheme so far.
He emphasized that under this scheme, each eligible woman will receive a capital assistance of Rs 10,000 via cheque to encourage various entrepreneurial ventures, especially those that support women’s development and promote alternative livelihoods in urban areas.
The Minister further highlighted the role of other schemes such as Orunodoi, Microfinance Relief Scheme, and MMUA (Mukhyamantri Mahila Udyamita Asoni) in making women financially independent. He stated that the empowerment of women is directly linked to the strength of the nation and advised the beneficiaries to use the funds appropriately and for productive purposes.
Deputy Commissioner Dibakar Nath, in his speech, said that this scheme would help beneficiaries establish a connection with banks and would be implemented in three phases. Additionally, beneficiaries will receive 50% government support towards capital in case of loans and a 3% interest subvention.
He added that through this ambitious scheme, women members of Self-Help Groups under both Assam State Rural Livelihoods Mission and Assam State Urban Livelihoods Mission were being encouraged to become micro-entrepreneurs and eventually achieve the status of Lakhpati Baideo (women earning over Rs 1 lakh annually). He praised the hardworking women of Assam and emphasized that the Chief Minister’s Women Entrepreneurship Scheme was truly encouraging their journey toward self-reliance. He also mentioned that under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Udyamita Asoni, the total number of women SHG members at the district level was 54,583.
Additional Chief Secretary Chakravarty stressed the importance of financial literacy among the beneficiaries.
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