Empowering the Nari Shakti of Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on thursday handed over `10,000 seed capital each to 35,199 women beneficiaries uder Mukahya Mantri Mahila Udyamita Abhiyan at a programme held at Tamulpur.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Sarma said that MMUA has given a new fillip to strengthening women-led enterprise and livelihoods across the region, which has led to a new awakening among the women of the State.
He observed that from ancient times, the women of Assam exceptionally led several fields and Sati Joymati and Mulagabharu showed this with fine examples. Although, instead of income-generating works, most women in the State stayed engaged in household tasks, a few women got themselves engaged in different business activities.
In this backdrop, the transformational movement of self-help groups began in the state and as a result, the number of enterprising women kept rising. He said that through various business initiatives, women in the State have started to earn their own income.
The Chief Minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi trusts the strength and capacity of women and he aims to help three crore women in the country grow into Lakhpati Baideus. The goal is to build a new force of women who can earn more than `1 lakh in a year through entrepreneurial activities. In Assam, forty lakh women now work with self-help groups.
The Chief Minister said that many women have already used bank loans and their own savings to run businesses and have joined the ranks of Lakhpati Baideus. He said that more than eight lakh women in the State have now become Lakhpati.
Dr Sarma said that earlier women in the State wanted to run businesses but the lack of capital held them back. He said that after long discussion, the present Government decided to support each member directly to encourage entrepreneurship. Under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Udyamita Abhiyan, the State arranged to give
10,000 to each of the forty lakh self-help group members. He said that the State Government would spend `4000 crore for this purpose. Commenting on the cheque distribution event held in Tamulpur, he said that the State Government has already covered 45 assembly constituencies and 10 lakh women have been benefited.
Catering to the needs of these 45 constituencies proves that the State Government fulfils its promises. Speaker Assam Legislative Assembly Biswajit Daimary, CEM BTC Hagrama Mohilary, Cabinet Ministers Jayanta Mallabaruah and Charan Boro, Tamulpur MLA Jalen Daimary, several BTC executive members, Mission Director Assam State Rural Livelihood Mission Kuntal Moni Sarma Bordoloi, along with a host of other dignitaries were present on the occasion.
