16,000 women get Rs 10,000 first instalment under Mahila Udyamita in Patharkandi

Patharkandi, September 1: Patharkandi wore a festive look on Monday as thousands of women gathered to receive the first instalment of financial assistance under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Udyamita Asoni (MMUA). The scheme supports women belonging to Self-Help Groups (SHGs) across the state.

Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, who distributed cheques at the event, said the initiative would enable women of Barak Valley to emerge as drivers of household prosperity and local enterprise.

Addressing the gathering, Sarma announced that nearly 16,000 women from SHGs in Patharkandi will benefit this year, each receiving Rs 10,000 as the first instalment.

“The assistance will grow in the following years—Rs 25,000 in the second year, including Rs 12,500 from banks with the interest borne by the government, and Rs 50,000 in the third year,” he said.

The Chief Minister stressed that the funds were not handouts but investments in women-led growth.

He urged beneficiaries to channel the money into small businesses, family ventures, or collective enterprises that could strengthen households as well as the local economy.

“The utilisation of the money given in phases will be verified accordingly,” he added.

Lauding Patharkandi MLA and Cabinet Minister Krishnendu Paul, Sarma said the constituency was “fortunate to have a very dynamic representative” who had been instrumental in pushing forward development projects.

Earlier, Minister Paul highlighted the transformation Assam has witnessed under the Chief Minister’s leadership and expressed hope that initiatives like MMUA would reshape the entrepreneurial landscape of the Barak Valley.

Also present at the event were Barak Valley Development, Mines and Minerals, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Kaushik Rai, ASRLM Mission Director Kuntalmoni Sarmah Bordoloi, Karimganj Deputy Commissioner PK Dwivedi, and other dignitaries.