• Assam CM announces financial scheme for women in self-help groups

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    Assam CM announces financial scheme for women in self-help groups
    CM Sarma stated that the goal of the scheme is to turn rural women become entrepreneurs to produce "Lakhpatis" from them. 

    Digital Desk: A financial scheme for women who participate in self-help organizations has been introduced by the Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma. 

    Speaking to the media today, Chief Minister Sarma announced that the government will be launching a scheme for women who belong to self-help organizations and live in rural areas. The Chief Minister's Women Entrepreneurs Scheme will be the name of the scheme. 

    Here, CM Sarma stated that the goal of the scheme is to turn rural women become entrepreneurs to produce "Lakhpatis" from them. Additionally, he mentioned that women would receive assistance through this scheme in three stages.

    "The women will create a business plan during the first phase. To advance their business, they can also make plans collectively. The government will deposit Rs 10,000 into their bank accounts during the first year after they submit their business plan to us and complete the necessary paperwork. Thus, the government would provide 39 lakh women with Rs 3,900 crore," CM Sarma stated. 

    The Chief Minister of Assam also stated that in order to ensure that the funds are not wasted, the government would determine whether the women in question could carry out the necessary business tasks. He stated that beneficiaries of this scheme who fall under the general or OBC categories should not have more than three children.

    "A woman will be excluded from the program if she has four children. Nonetheless, despite being classified as OBC, women from the Moran, Mottock, and tea garden villages would have leisure time until they had four children. Even with four children, women from the SC and ST categories will be eligible for this program," the chief minister of Assam stated. 

    In the interest of social justice, the Assam chief minister further stated that two commitments will be demanded from the program's recipients. 

    "The beneficiary's daughter must be admitted into school if she has one. This is the first undertaking. Second, those who are parents of two or three children are required to swear they won't apply for another beneficiary designation. In the first year, students would get the money when they complete these two tasks," according to CM Sarma.

    It was also mentioned that the beneficiaries would get a bank loan of Rs 12,500 in the second year, and the government would match that amount with an additional Rs 12,500, for a total of Rs 25,000. The government grant does not need to be repaid, but the bank loan must be returned. The women would receive Rs 35,000 in total over three years with this. 

    Additionally, the chief minister of Assam stated that the government would verify that the funds provided in the first installment were used appropriately during the second installment.

    Additionally, it was mentioned that application forms for the scheme will be given out in village panchayats throughout Upper Assam districts between January 18 and January 25, when prospective beneficiaries would need to pick them up. The administration will shortly establish a deadline for submitting the forms in this regard. 

    The CM further mentioned that the trees planted as part of the Amrit Vriksh initiative by the prospective beneficiaries needed to be flourishing. If not, no funds would be provided.