Silchar: Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday distributed seed capital cheques under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Udyamita Abhiyan (MMUA) to 13,193 women beneficiaries of the Silchar Legislative Assembly constituency, reaffirming the government’s commitment to women’s economic empowerment.

Addressing a massive gathering at the Police Parade Ground, Sarma said the initiative aims to make women associated with Self-Help Groups (SHGs) financially self-reliant. Of the total beneficiaries, 9,254 belong to rural areas, while 3,939 are from urban parts of the constituency.

“Nearly 40 lakh women across Assam are linked with four lakh SHGs, and our aim is to transform them into lakhpatis,” Sarma said.

The Chief Minister cited local success stories, including Tapasi Dev of the Lakshmi SHG in Meherpur, who set up a dairy-based food processing unit and now earns around Rs 15,000 a month. Another member, Krishna Das, supports her family by selling milk, eggs, and poultry products, earning about Rs 12,000 monthly.

Sarma explained that if each woman deposits the Rs 10,000 received as seed capital into her SHG, the group can collectively build a corpus of Rs 1 lakh to start small ventures. Beneficiaries who use the initial fund effectively will later receive Rs 25,000 and Rs 50,000 in successive phases. He added that 99 percent of SHG loans in Assam have been repaid, boosting the confidence of banks in lending to such groups.

Highlighting other welfare schemes such as Orunodoi, Nijut Moina, and Ayushman Bharat, the Chief Minister announced that from November, families with ration cards will receive sugar, pulses, and salt at subsidised rates.

He also noted that the state’s crackdown on child marriage has led to a significant drop in crimes against women—from 1.5 lakh cases earlier to around 40,000 now. “We are building a society where women feel safe, move forward with confidence, and carve their own identity,” Sarma said.

Turning to infrastructure, the Chief Minister announced that construction of a Rs 650-crore flyover in Silchar will begin in December to ease traffic congestion. A Rs 100-crore bridge will also be built at Madura Ghat.

Sarma further revealed plans to establish Barak Bhawans in Delhi, Kolkata, and Chennai to assist patients from the Barak Valley seeking treatment outside the state. He added that a Rs 35,000-crore road project will connect Barak Valley to Guwahati, while the proposed Doloo Airport is expected to receive final clearance within the year.

The event was attended by Ministers Kaushik Roy and Krishnendu Paul, MPs Parimal Suklabaidya and Kanad Purkayastha, MLAs Dipayan Chakraborty, Mihir Kanti Shome, Nihar Ranjan Das, and Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha, along with Additional Chief Secretary B. Kalyan Chakravarthy and Cachar Deputy Commissioner Mridul Yadav.

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