HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Oct 9: Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said that the Mukhya Matri Mahila Udyamita Abhiyan (MMUA) has ushered in a new chapter of women’s self-reliance and entrepreneurship in Assam.
He was speaking at a function at Jonai where cheques of ₹10,000 each were handed over to 36,886 women beneficiaries of the constituency under the scheme.
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At the event, the Chief Minister also inaugurated a workshop and tech lab constructed at Dhemaji Polytechnic under the scheme to upgrade polytechnic and ITI institutes into centres of excellence, and laid the foundation stone for a 30-bed Community Health Centre (CHC) at Simen Chapori under the National Health Mission’s 15th Finance Commission Health Grant Scheme.
Under the MMUA, each eligible member of self-help groups (SHGs) receives ₹10,000 as seed capital to promote rural enterprises.
In Jonai alone, over ₹36.88 crore has been allocated to strengthen women-led entrepreneurship in sectors such as agriculture, animal husbandry, handloom, handicrafts, and fisheries.
As per official data, 14,085 women applied for pig farming (₹14.08 crore), 8,345 for goat farming (₹8.34 crore), 1,780 for fish farming (₹1.78 crore), and 1,456 for poultry farming (₹1.45 crore). Similarly, 757 women in handloom, 518 in piggery, 304 in goat farming, and 185 in dairy farming also received capital support.
Terming the day “special”, Sarma said he had fulfilled several promises made to the people of Jonai before the elections.
“Elections come and go, but one should never make false promises. My government is working hard to deliver on every political, economic, and social commitment made to the people of Assam,” he said.
The Chief Minister said that the government has already provided employment to one lakh youths and that the figure would soon approach two lakh with new appointments.
Citing examples of the Orunodoi scheme, he said that the monthly assistance had been increased from ₹850 to ₹1,250, along with an additional ₹250 per month to help purchase LPG cylinders.
Sarma said that the government has also kept its promises to provide free rice, free medical treatment for ration card holders, improved road infrastructure, and a medical college in Dhemaji.
He claimed that while no previous government had fulfilled 100 percent of its promises, his government continues to stand by every commitment.
Highlighting the MMUA’s objective, the chief minister said that the ₹10,000 assistance to SHG members marks the beginning of their journey toward becoming ‘Lakhpati Baideus’.
“This initiative aims to transform SHG members into successful entrepreneurs,” he said, citing success stories of Mandira Devi Deuri of Luhijan Majgaon and the Jonbibi SHG of Simen Chapori.
Assam, he said, has four lakh SHGs with 40 lakh women members.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a national target to make three crore SHG women ‘Lakhpati’. Assam aims to ensure that all its SHG members achieve that goal,” Sarma added.
He further announced that women who use the seed capital productively will receive enhanced financial support — ₹25,000 next year and ₹50,000 in the third year, making it a total of ₹85,000 per beneficiary.
Sarma also announced that from November 1, families with ration cards will receive pulses, salt, and sugar at subsidized rates along with rice. Orunodoi beneficiaries will get an additional ₹250 per month for LPG, and from February, another new benefit will be added under the scheme.
The Chief Minister said that under Mission Basundhara 3.0, 45 non-cadastral villages in Jonai have been declared cadastral.
Work on the 81-km four-lane highway in the area is nearing completion, while the co-district civil hospital and Ekalavya Model Residential School at Jonai have already become functional.
Development works worth ₹8 crore are underway to upgrade Jonai Higher Secondary School, Frontier United High School, and Tribal Girls Higher Secondary School.
Around 30,000 families have been included in Orunodoi 3.0, while 46,500 families have secured food security through ration cards.
Besides, 9,860 farmers in the constituency have received the 20th installment of the PM-Kisan scheme.
Sarma announced the construction of a football stadium at the Simen Chapori Sports Complex with ₹15 crore earmarked for the project.
He said that through sustained government efforts, Dhemaji and Jonai have overcome the impact of floods, while measures are being taken to boost industrial investment and prevent youth migration.
Under the Shraddhanjali scheme, he said, the government will assist in bringing back the mortal remains of students and youth from poor families who die outside the state.
“Assam is no longer just the land of the rising sun for India’s East; it has become the starting point of the nation’s development journey,” Sarma said, adding that schemes like Orunodoi and MMUA are now being emulated by other states.
Education Minister Ranoj Pegu, Power Minister Prasanta Phukan, MP Pradan Baruah, local MLA Bhuban Pegu, CEMs of various autonomous councils, and other dignitaries attended the event.
