Cachar (Assam) [India], October 25 (HBTV): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said that the state government will soon introduce a law to ban polygamy.
Alongside economic empowerment, the Chief Minister said that the government has taken strong steps to ensure women’s dignity and safety. Referring to the state’s efforts to eliminate child marriage, he announced plans to introduce a law to end polygamy and protect the rights and status of women.
Sarma also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to supporting poor families across Assam through sustained efforts. Continuing the state’s women empowerment initiative under the Mukhyamantrir Mahila Udyamita Abhiyan, the Chief Minister distributed cheques of INR 10,000 each as seed capital to 19,318 members of self-help groups (SHGs) in the Lakhipur Legislative Assembly Constituency during a public meeting at Labak Tea Garden playground in Cachar district. Among the beneficiaries, 18,600 are from rural areas and 718 from urban areas.
Speaking on the occasion, Sarma said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pledged to help around three crore women across India become lakhpati. ‘Assam has nearly four lakh self-help groups with about 40 lakh members. Taking the vision given by the Prime Minister, the state government continues its efforts to make the women of Assam belonging to different SHGs lakhpati. As a result of state government’s women empowerment initiatives, several women in Assam now earn over INR 1 lakh annually,’ he said.
He cited the example of Nandarani Devi, a member of a self-help group in Lakhipur, who set up a beauty parlour and became self-employed. She now earns about INR 10,000 per month, or INR 1.2 lakh annually, and serves as an inspiration for rural women as an ideal ‘Lakhpati Baidew’. He also mentioned Ranjita Sinha of the Tamna Self-Help Group, who took up dairy farming to achieve self-reliance. By selling milk in Sirpur and Lakhipur, Ranjita now earns between INR 12,000 and INR 14,000 per month.
Sarma described her as a shining example of the Lakhpati Baidew initiative under the Assam State Rural Livelihood Mission. He said the government aims to help every woman in the state become a lakhpati through the Mukhyamantrir Mahila Udyamita Abhiyan, following the examples of Nandarani Devi and Ranjita Sinha.
The Chief Minister said the initial financial assistance of INR 10,000 under the scheme is only a starting point. If used productively, the amount will help women beneficiaries receive greater support from the government in the future. He explained that if each SHG member combines her capital, the group will collectively have INR 1 lakh, enabling them to expand their businesses and access bank loans. Members can invest the funds in activities like poultry, pig, or cattle rearing, or in weaving and cloth production. Women whose husbands run small businesses can also invest the funds there.
Sarma said that the use of the preliminary investment under MMUA will be evaluated. Members who use their funds effectively will receive INR 25,000 next year, and those who manage that amount well will get INR 50,000 in the third year. Through this process, each member can receive up to INR 85,000 in total. ‘If all 40 lakh women in Assam benefit this way,’ he said, ‘the rural economy will witness a major transformation.’
Highlighting additional welfare measures, the Chief Minister announced that from November 7, families with ration cards will be able to buy pulses, salt, and sugar at fair prices, along with rice from fair price shops. Families receiving benefits under the Orunodoi scheme will get an additional INR 250 for LPG cylinders, in addition to the INR 1,250 they receive every month. Sarma said the government remains committed to easing household hardships by meeting essential family needs.
He also mentioned several initiatives, including free admission in colleges, the Niyut Moina scheme for girl students, free textbooks, bicycles for ninth-grade students, and scooters for higher secondary students who perform well.
Giving an overview of development initiatives in the Lakhipur constituency, the Chief Minister said that the government has approved several major projects, including INR 55 crore for the road from LLR Road to Fulertol, INR 60 crore for the Jiribam-Jaipur road under Assam Mala, INR 75 crore for a bridge over the Silghat River, and INR 160 crore for road construction under the Public Works Department.
He added that the government has sanctioned INR 127 crore for the construction of Lakhipur District Hospital, INR 20 crore for the Co-District Office complex, INR 35 crore for a Model Degree College, and INR 15 crore for Lakhipur Law College. Four higher secondary schools will be built at a total cost of INR 28 crore, with INR 7 crore allotted to each. Another INR 7 crore has been earmarked for an Adarsha Vidyalaya and INR 7 crore for the Netaji Subhas Adarsha Vidyalaya. Four model higher secondary schools will also be constructed in tea garden areas at a total cost of INR 12 crore, or INR 3 crore each.
Sarma further said that 30,000 beneficiaries will receive support under the Orunodoi scheme, and 20,000 women will receive capital support under the Mukhyamantrir Mahila Udyamita Abhiyan. The government has also taken steps to improve the Silchar-Jiribam road under the Bharatmala project at an estimated cost of INR 2,000 crore, he added.
Minister for Barak Valley Development Kaushik Rai, Minister for Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Krishnaendu Paul, MPs Parimal Suklabaidya and Kripanath Mallah, MLAs Dipayan Chakraborty and Nihar Ranjan Das, former MP Rajdeep Roy, Cachar Zila Parishad President Kangkan Narayan Sikdar, Additional Chief Secretary of the Panchayat and Rural Development Department B Kalyan Chakravarthy, Mission Director of the Assam State Rural Livelihood Mission Kuntal Moni Sarma Bordoloi, Cachar District Commissioner Mridul Yadav, and several other dignitaries were present on the occasion. (ANI)