GUWAHATI: The Assam government will begin disbursing ₹10,000 to each woman in Self Help Groups (SHGs) under the Mukhya Mantri Mahila Udyamita Abhiyan (MMUA) starting April 1. Ranjeet Kumar Dass, the state’s Panchayat and Rural Development Minister, made this announcement on Wednesday, March 26. He highlighted that the government's goal is to help 30 lakh women become "Lakhpati Didi" (women earning ₹1 lakh annually) in the near future.
ALSO READ: Father-Son Duo Held With Heroin In Guwahati’s Jayanagar
Dass said, “PM Narendra had announced that there are four castes - poor, the youth, women, and farmers. PM Modi is making all efforts to bring these four castes to the fore. Besides this, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma is making all efforts to bring farmers to the fore. Efforts are also being made to push forward women. We are doing everything to make it happen.”
"There are 40 lakh women in SHGs in the state. We are trying to make at least 30 lakh women as Lakhpati Didi. On April 1, CM will initiate this. It means if they earn ₹8,000 per month, they will earn ₹1 Lakh per annum," he added.
The MMUA programme is expected to benefit approximately 40 lakh women involved in SHGs across Assam. The initiative will start with seed capital of ₹10,000 for each participant in its first phase. In the second phase, the government plans to provide ₹25,000 in financial support—₹12,500 from the state and the remaining amount as a bank loan. The third phase will offer ₹50,000.
Dass explained that if each woman earns ₹1 lakh annually, the total income of 30 lakh women would contribute around ₹30,000 crore to Assam’s economy.
Assam Finance Minister Ajanta Neog also confirmed in the 2025-26 state budget that MMUA will cover 30 lakh women in rural areas and 2 lakh in urban areas. The government plans to provide subsidies on loans given to these women, who will also receive loans through bank linkages.
The MMUA scheme, the largest self-employment initiative of its kind in Assam, will officially be launched on April 1 from the Behali Assembly Constituency. The state has allocated ₹3,038 crore for the program.
