Dibrugarh, Feb 9 Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said that along with providing government jobs, his administration has created a new generation of entrepreneurs, asserting that entrepreneurship has become a key pillar of youth empowerment and economic growth in the state.
Launching the first instalment under the Chief Minister’s Atmanirbhar Asom Abhiyan 2.0 (CM-AAA 2.0) in Dibrugarh today, the Chief Minister disbursed seed capital to 10,404 beneficiaries from Dibrugarh, Sivasagar, Tinsukia and Charaideo districts at a function in Dibrugarh.
Sarma said the state government’s sustained efforts to promote entrepreneurship have opened new opportunities for Assam’s youth.
“While government jobs contribute to state-building, entrepreneurs create employment for many others. Our goal is to transform youths into job generators,” he said.
Under CM-AAA 2.0, the state government aims to support 74,036 prospective entrepreneurs across Assam with a total outlay of Rs 1,482 crore.
Beneficiaries under the general category will receive Rs 2 lakh, while those under the professional category, including engineers and medical graduates, will receive Rs 5 lakh, without any collateral.
The Chief Minister said that the earlier CM-AAA 1.0, launched in September 2023, benefited over 25,000 youths, many of whom have already progressed to advanced stages of business.
He added that beneficiaries under the first phase would receive the third instalment of Rs 1 lakh by February or early March this year. Sarma said CM-AAA also facilitates bank linkages, enabling nearly 2,000 beneficiaries to secure loans of up to Rs 10 lakh, while banks have shown interest in extending Mudra loans to thousands more.
Referring to Assam’s improving entrepreneurial ecosystem, he said MSME registrations on the Udyam portal have risen sharply from 9,371 in 2020 to over 12.75 lakh at present.
He added that banks have extended more than Rs 30,773 crore in loans to small entrepreneurs till March 2025.
The Chief Minister also pointed to large industrial projects such as the Jagiroad semiconductor unit, the Dhubri thermal power plant, and the Namrup Methanol and Urea project, stating that these would create massive direct and indirect employment opportunities.
Sarma urged local youth to seize these opportunities, saying that entrepreneurship-driven growth has strengthened livelihoods and accelerated Assam’s journey towards self-reliance.
--IANS
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