GUWAHATI: In a bid to encourage economic empowerment among rural women, the Assam government has unveiled the Mukhyamantri Mahila Udyamita Abhiyaan (MMUA), a financial support scheme aimed at fostering rural micro-entrepreneurship.
However, the scheme comes with controversial conditions, including restrictions on the number of children beneficiaries can have.
Announcing the scheme on Thursday, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma revealed that women from general and OBC categories are limited to three children, while women from Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Scheduled Castes (SCs) are allowed up to four children to be eligible for the benefits. The Moran, Motok, and 'tea tribes,' advocating for ST status, are also subject to a four-child cap.
Sarma emphasised that this move is aligned with his 2021 announcement of implementing a two-child policy for accessing specific state-funded schemes, with plans to extend this norm to all government beneficiary schemes gradually.
The MMUA aims to assist women in rural self-help groups to evolve into "rural micro-entrepreneurs" with a targeted annual income of ₹1 lakh per member.
Sarma defended the population-related condition by asserting that it ensures women focus on utilising the funds for business development rather than being occupied with childcare responsibilities.
Approximately 39 lakh women in rural Assam are engaged in self-help groups, but around 5 lakh may be excluded from the MMUA scheme due to the imposed limit on the number of children.
Under the scheme, the government has prepared 145 business plans, from which eligible beneficiaries can choose one. In the initial year, participants meeting the basic criteria will receive ₹10,000. Subject to the effective utilization of funds, the government will provide ₹12,500 in the subsequent two years, coupled with a ₹12,500 loan from a bank.
Apart from the population-related condition, beneficiaries must fulfill two other criteria: enrolling girl children in school and ensuring the survival of trees planted under the government's Amrit Brikshya Andolan tree plantation drive.
This move follows the Assam government's 2019 decision, under the previous BJP administration, which stipulated that those with more than two children would be ineligible for government jobs from January 2021, as part of the Population and Women Empowerment Policy of Assam passed by the Assembly in 2017.