HT Bureau
DIBRUGARH, Dec 23: Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday distributed seed capital cheques of ₹10,000 each to more than 43,000 women Self-Help Group (SHG) members in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts under the Chief Minister’s Mahila Udyamita Abhiyan, aimed at economic empowerment of women.
At public meetings held at the Dinjoy Tea Garden playground in Chabua and the Janamukh playground in Tinsukia, the chief minister handed over cheques to 21,198 women of the Chabua–Lahowal Assembly Constituency in Dibrugarh district and 22,069 women of the Makum Assembly Constituency in Tinsukia district.
Of the beneficiaries in Chabua–Lahowal, 20,575 were from rural areas and 623 from urban areas, while in Makum, 20,900 beneficiaries were rural and 1,169 urban.
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Addressing the gatherings, Sarma said the state government has so far distributed the first instalment of ₹10,000 each to around 15 lakh enterprising women across 55 Assembly constituencies, with the remaining beneficiaries to receive the amount soon.
He said feedback indicated that most women had productively utilised the funds to take up income-generating activities.
The chief minister said the seed capital support is only the beginning of the scheme, which will continue until every beneficiary becomes a “Lakhpati Baideo”.
He noted that over eight lakh women in Assam have already achieved lakhpati status through bank loans and SHG-linked activities, with some even earning over ₹10 lakh annually.
Citing a local example, Sarma referred to Anita Sahu of Dikom Bazar under Chabua Development Block, who expanded her beauty parlour and cosmetics business with SHG support and a bank loan, earning around ₹25,000 per month.
He expressed confidence that women beneficiaries in Chabua–Lahowal and Makum would similarly leverage the seed capital to achieve financial self-reliance.
