Assam launches third edition of poverty alleviation scheme with 37.2 lakh beneficiaries

Guwahati: The Assam government on Thursday rolled out the third edition of its flagship poverty alleviation scheme 'Orunodoi', covering 37.2 lakh beneficiaries for direct cash transfer.

The 'Orunodoi 3.0' has upped the number of beneficiaries by over 12.5 lakh people across the state from 24.6 lakh recipients of the second edition of this scheme, and thus became the largest state-run DBT initiative in Assam ever.

During the day, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma launched the process of distributing Orunodoi Cards to new beneficiaries at a programme held here.

The scheme, which is designed to empower women members of poor families, will deposit Rs 1,250 per month directly to their bank accounts on the 10th day of every month.

"As substantial time has elapsed since its first launch, it has become essential to update information and implement the scheme with improved standards and procedures. Therefore, it has become vital to phase out Orunodoi 1.0 and Orunodoi 2.0, without transferring any legacy data, to effectively launch Orunodoi 3.0," an official release said.

While selecting the beneficiaries of Orunodoi 3.0, the district administration will take utmost care that the eligible beneficiaries of the previous two editions are not removed whimsically, unless they now do not confirm to the new guidelines, it added.

The 'Orunodoi' scheme was first launched on December 1, 2020, and the second edition of it was announced on December 14, 2022, for adding more beneficiaries to the list.