Assam CM distributes 6,670 scooters under Rural Livelihood Mission's Sakhi Express scheme

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday inaugurated the distribution ceremony of 6,670 scooters to "community cadres" under Assam State Rural Livelihood Mission's Sakhi Express scheme for the financial year 2021-22.

In the financial year 2020-21, a total of 4,238 scooters were distributed under the "Jeevika Sakhi Express" scheme ASRLM, taking the total number of distributed scooters to 10,908.

Beneficiaries of Sakhi Express include Krishi Sakhi, Bima Sakhi, Pashu Sakhi and Jeevika Sakhi among others who, as "community cadres" work towards mobilizing and members of self-help groups in their fields.

Speaking at the event held at the Sankardev Kalakshetra Auditorium, Sarma expressed confidence the "Sakhis" who have been presented with scooters by ASRLM would work dedicatedly towards mobilizing and motivating members of self-help groups towards achieving financial self-sufficiency and independence.

The Chief Minister exuded confidence the members of female-run self-help groups achieving success in their endeavour will be a huge boost towards transforming Assam into one of the top states in terms of per capita gross state domestic product.

Speaking on the importance of credit inflow in business ventures of all magnitude, Sarma praised the state's self-help groups for timely repayment of their loan instalments to banks and other financial institutions.

"This would ensure the bad loan component under priority-sector lending would remain within tolerable limits, thus leading to further infusion of funds for the expansion of activities by the self-help groups," he said.

Referring to the dependence of Assam on products such as milk, egg, edible oil, and cereals, among others, in other states of the country, the Chief Minister said self-help groups operating at a very small magnitude in terms of activities should strive to transform their operations into production units of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME), so that they can avail various benefits in terms of the loan, tax subsidy, etc as formulated by the government from time to time.

Referring to products and items of a number of Assam-based self-help groups getting registered with e-commerce sites for sale outside the state and abroad, the Chief Minister appealed to the "Sakhis" to make the SHG members aware of the vast market that technological advancements offer in the twenty-first century.

The Chief Minister also used the platform for today's event to spread the message of the importance of family planning.

He requested the "Sakhis" present to work towards raising awareness of the benefits of a small family among the rural population.

"A small but happy family should always be prioritised over a family that is large but stricken with poverty," the Chief Minister added.

The Chief Minister also appealed to the "Sakhis" to co-operate with the government in the ongoing Aadhar-seeding process for various government-granted benefits such as Orunoday, etc.

Speaking at the event, Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Ranjeet Kumar Dass lauded the Chief Minister for the overall guidance he has been providing to the various schemes of the department as well as that of ASRLM.

The P&RD Minister, referring to a female entrepreneur from the Lakhimpur district whose cottage industry registers an annual turnover of Rs 35 lakhs per annum, appealed to the "Sakhis" to make judicious use of the scooters, with the aim of transforming the rural economy through economic participation of women folks.

Today's event, apart from "Sakhis" from districts nearby Guwahati, also saw the attendance of Guwahati Lok Sabha constituency Member of Parliament Queen Ojha, Dispur Assembly constituency Member of Legislative Assembly Atul Bora, Additional Chief Secretary Paban Kumar Borthakur, P&RD Principal Secretary JB Ekka, P&RD Commissioner Bikram Kairi and ASRLM Mission Director Krishna Baruah.

( With inputs from ANI )