HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Oct 18: Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday launched the Chief Minister’s Atmanirbhar Asom Abhijan (CMAAA) 2.0 at a function held at Lok Sewa Bhawan in a bid to further the entrepreneurial drive in the state.
CMAAA 2.0 is an extension of the earlier mission CMAAA 1.0, a flagship entrepreneur support initiative by the state government, under which Sarma distributed Rs 510 crore to 25238 budding entrepreneurs across the state.
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75,000 beneficiaries will be selected for the CMAAA 2.0. Speaking on the occasion, chief minister Sarma said, “State government is committed to start a new era of entrepreneurship in Assam where by, the empowered youth will be given opportunities to start their entrepreneurial ventures. He said that under CMAAA 2.0, the selected beneficiaries will receive Rs 5 lakh for Professional Course Category and Rs 2 lakh for Non-professional Course Category in two trenches as entrepreneurship incentives.”
“Applicants possessing four years degree in the fields of engineering, medicine, agriculture, veterinary, and fishery will be treated as professional course category applicants, whereas, all other applicants (except professional category) will be treated as non-professional course category,” he added.
The Chief Minister moreover said that the interested and eligible applicants will have to register themselves in the CMAAA portal and subsequently submit the detailed project report during the application phase. The portal will remain open till 18 November for registration.
He, however, said that in the five districts where bye-elections have been declared, applicants will get a chance to register for CMAAA 2.0 once the election model code of conduct comes to an end.
Sarma also mentioned that many new additions have been made to CMAAA 2.0 based on previous experience. He said, “Taking experience from CMAAA 1.0, the eligibility age for the applicants has been raised to 45 years which was earlier 40 years. The applicants must have the skill/experience and knowledge to perform income-generating activity and they must have a scheduled commercial bank account opened before April 1, 2024.”
He also said that to be eligible for CMAAA 2.0, the applicants should not be a defaulter in loan repayment taken from any scheduled commercial bank and the applicants’ household member spouse or sibling must not be a beneficiary of CMAAA 1.0.
The spirit of Chief Minister’s Atmanirbhar Asom Abhijan is to empower the youth of the state and inculcate in them entrepreneurial skills. He stated, “Through the abhijan efforts will be made to make the beneficiaries eligible and competent for Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, a flagship scheme of the Central Government which facilitates micro credit/loan up to Rs 10 lakh to income generating micro-enterprises.”
Sarma further said that CMAAA has been envisaged to create an enabling environment for entrepreneurs by providing financial support to the beneficiaries. He said that through CMAAA 2.0, the government will try to unleash Assam’s entrepreneurial spirit and drive the state’s growth.
The chief minister on the occasion also presented authority letters to CM Fellows, the 130 mentors who have been selected for mentoring the beneficiaries of the CMAAA 1.0 and helping them to become prospective entrepreneurs.
Industries and commerce minister Bimal Bora also spoke on the occasion, which was attended among others by finance minister Ajanta Neog, environment and forests minister Chandra Mohan Patowary, revenue minister Jogen Mohan, chief secretary Dr. Ravi Kota, vice chancellor, Gauhati University Prof. Nani Gopal Mahanta and a host of other dignitaries.
