Assam Chief Minister launched Orunodoi 3.0
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Guwahati, Sept 19: Assam government launched its flagship Orunodoi 3.0 Scheme on Thursday, phasing out the previous versions and expanding its reach to cover 37.2 lakh beneficiaries.
This new phase increases the number of recipients by over 12.5 lakh compared to the 24.6 lakh recipients of Orunodoi 2.0, making it the largest state-run Direct Bank Transfer (DBT) initiative in Assam's history.
“I am happy to offer this scheme to the people of Assam. Orunodoi 3.0 represents more than just welfare; it is a transformative initiative aimed at economic empowerment and inclusive growth,” Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated during the launch.
The updated scheme will include a broader range of beneficiaries, such as the third gender, widows, unmarried individuals over 45, divorced and deserted women, persons with disabilities (regardless of gender), and households with an income of less than ₹2 lakh per annum.
The Chief Minister highlighted that destitute women, persons with disabilities, widows, and transgender individuals would be prioritised in the scheme.
District administrations have been instructed to exercise caution in selecting beneficiaries for Orunodoi 3.0, ensuring that eligible recipients from the earlier versions of the scheme are not removed unless they do not meet the updated guidelines.
The government will allocate ₹467 crores per month for the initiative.
To qualify for the benefits, applicants must be permanent residents of Assam with a valid Aadhaar-seeded ration card. Families with no government job will also be eligible for the programme.
“The total allocation for Orunodoi 3.0 stands at ₹5,604 crores, with the government aiming to complete the rollout by January 2024. Inspired by the success of Orunodoi, other states have begun to adopt similar initiatives under various names,” Chief Minister Sarma added.
Originally introduced on October 2, 2020, by then-Finance Minister Sarma, the scheme initially provided financial assistance of ₹830 per month to women.
Under Orunodoi 3.0, beneficiaries will now receive ₹1,250 directly credited to their bank accounts on the 10th of every month.
