Assam govt to launch Orunodoi 3.0 on PM Modi's birthday

The BJP-led government in Assam has decided to launch the revised social welfare scheme Orunodoi 3.0 on September 17, coinciding with the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The scheme, which aims to provide monthly financial assistance to the poor, is expected to benefit more than 40 lakh people under its new framework.

The announcement was made by Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday. Assembly polls in the state are to be held early next year.


The state government is also exploring whether Orunodoi beneficiaries can be given a subsidy of Rs 250 to purchase LPG cylinders, Sarma said.

"If Orunodoi beneficiaries procure an LPG cylinder, they would get a subsidy of Rs 250," he said, adding that this will mean that the beneficiaries are availing a benefit of Rs 1,500 per month.

The Orunodoi scheme, started in 2019 by the BJP-led government in Assam, is one of the largest direct benefit transfer (DBT) initiatives in the state. In 2019, beneficiaries under the scheme received Rs 813 per month. It was subsequently increased to Rs 1,250 per month.

Sarma said the government has in the last six months ascertained that only genuine beneficiaries are covered under the scheme and that it covers the remotest corners of the state.

The chief minister said the Nijut Moina Scheme--another welfare scheme to provide financial assistance to girl students from higher secondary to post-graduate level in government and government-aided institutions--has had positive impact. " We have seen positive impacts regarding early marriage, school dropout, etc.," he said, adding that the scheme will also be extended to students in central-government run universities of Assam.

The prime minister is set to visit Assam on September 8 to take part in the birth centenary celebrations of music maestro Bhupen Hazarika.

Sarma said Modi will arrive first at Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) in Golaghat district and dedicate to the nation the bio-ethanol plant, set up at a cost of Rs 4,200 crore.

From Mangaldoi in Darrang district, the PM will inaugurate the Guwahati-Ring Road, a bridge over river Brahmaputra connecting Kuruwa and Narengi in Guwahati and lay the foundation stone for the Mangaldoi Medical College Hospital. The projects are worth more than Rs 8,000 crore in total.

Home minister Amit Shah is scheduled to visit Assam on August 29 to inaugurate the newly constructed Raj Bhavan in Guwahati.

"On August 29, the home minister will visit Guwahati. He will inaugurate the new Raj Bhawan. NDA got a good victory in the panchayat elections, and all the panchayat members of NDA will hold a convention on 29th August in Guwahati,” Sarma said. “The home minister will attend the convention as the chief guest."

Later in the evening, he will inaugurate the birth centenary celebrations of Golap Borbora, Assam's first non-Congress chief minister, before leaving for New Delhi.