GUWAHATI, March 10: Forty lakh families in Assam on Tuesday received Rs 9,000 each under the state government’s flagship ‘Orunodoi’ scheme, with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma asserting that it was not an “election freebie” but a manifestation of the regime’s compassionate approach towards the women beneficiaries.
He underlined that the scheme was not a universal one but only meant for women who fulfilled specific criteria, which makes it a “controlled” one and not linked with the coming Assembly polls.
“Rs 3,600cr straight into the bank accounts of 40 lakh women- and NO this is not an election freebie,” Sarma said in a post after attending the central launch programme here.
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He said that through ‘Orunodoi’, one of the country’s first beneficiary transfer schemes, eligible families are receiving monthly financial assistance since 2020.
Every month on the 10th, nearly 40 lakh women-led families receive Rs 1,250 to take care of their basic expenses, Sarma said.
“To ensure that the #AssamElections2026 doesn’t hamper this process, we have transferred Rs 9,000 together for 4 months of #Orunodoi & a Rs 4,000 Bihu bonus,” he added.
The chief minister claimed that the results of Orunodoi have percolated on the ground and shown how effective targeted poverty alleviation schemes can be.
“Lakhs of people have been pulled out of poverty & together with other schemes, a comprehensive security net has been laid to ensure they remain poverty-free,” Sarma added.
Orunodoi is a flagship poverty alleviation scheme of the BJP-led state government launched in 2020, under which one eligible woman beneficiary per family receives Rs 1,250 per month.
Sarma had announced earlier that payment for four months from January this year, along with an additional amount for Bohag Bihu celebration (marking the Assamese New Year in mid-April), will be paid together in March, taking the total amount to Rs 9,000.
Talking to reporters after the launch, the chief minister maintained that the Orunodoi scheme was not linked with the elections.
“Unlike in other states, there is no mass transfer of benefit in this scheme. The transfer is limited to certain category of women, it is a controlled scheme and not linked with election,” he said.
Sarma claimed that had it been linked with the election, coverage would have been universal.
“We have been giving Orunodoi with a lot of compassion. We have been doing it for six years now,” he maintained.
“We are winning elections because of (PM) Narendra Modi ji and BJP, not due to schemes. These are ongoing schemes. Perhaps, Congress (ruled states) also have similar ones,” the chief minister added.
The Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), also in a post on X, said it is a “historic step towards strengthening women-led households in Assam”.
“Reiterating the same, Hon’ble Chief Minister Dr. @himantabiswa transferred Rs 9,000 each to 40 lakh Orunodoi beneficiary families through Direct Benefit Transfer, further reinforcing financial security and dignity for women across the state,” it added.
The CMO said that beneficiary women from across the state joined the central event virtually through over 3,800 public programmes organised at Gaon Panchayats, Autonomous Council constituencies, Village Development Committees and Urban Ward Committees. (PTI)
