Assam launches youth empowerment scheme for self-employment

Two-Tiered support system

Assam's Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, has introduced the 'Mukhyamantri Atmanirbhar Asom Abhijan' scheme to bolster the state's youth. This initiative aims to cultivate entrepreneurship, encourage self-sufficiency, and promote self-employment.

The scheme categorizes applicants based on their educational qualifications:

1. Degree Holders: Unemployed degree holders in fields such as engineering, MBBS, BDS, agriculture, animal husbandry, and fishery will receive government assistance of Rs 5 lakh. Half of this amount will serve as a subsidy, while the remainder must be repaid without interest.

2. Other Graduates: Unemployed postgraduates, general graduates, ITI, and Polytechnic pass-outs will receive government assistance of Rs 2 lakh, with Rs 1 lakh provided as a subsidy, and the rest repayable without interest.

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Eligibility and age criteria

Students from Scheduled Tribes (ST), Scheduled Castes (SC), and Other Backward Classes (OBC) with a minimum qualification of Class 10 are eligible for the first category of assistance. The age limit for all applicants is 28 years, with a slightly higher upper limit of 40 years for the general category and 43 years for ST, SC, and OBC applicants.

The scheme reflects the Bharatiya Janata Party's 2021 promise to offer 100,000 jobs to unemployed Assamese youth. Earlier this year, during Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Assam, the government handed out appointment letters to 44,703 newly recruited candidates across various government departments. Sarma's administration has previously stated that it generated 88,000 jobs in the state over the past two years.

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