Guwahati (Assam) [India], October 18 : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday launched Chief Minister's Atmanirbhar Asom Abhijan (CMAAA) 2.0 at a function held at Lok Sewa Bhawan in Guwahati.
According to a release, under the CMAAA 1.0, which is the State government's flagship entrepreneur support initiative, CM distributed Rs. 510 crores to 25238 budding entrepreneurs across the state. CMAAA 2.0 is an extension of the earlier mission which has been designed to further enhance the spirit of entrepreneurship in the state. 75,000 beneficiaries will be selected for the CMAAA 2.0.

Speaking on the occasion, CM Sarma said that the State government is committed to starting a new era of entrepreneurship in Assam where the empowered youth will be given opportunities to start their entrepreneurial ventures.

He said that under CMAAA 2.0, the selected beneficiaries will receive Rs 5 lakhs for Professional Course Category and Rs 2 lakhs for Non-professional Course Category in two trenches as entrepreneurship incentives.

Applicants possessing four years of degree in the fields of engineering, medicine, agriculture, veterinary, and fishery will be treated as professional course category applicants. whereas, all other applicants (except the professional category) will be treated as non-professional course category.

The Chief Minister moreover said that the interested and eligible applicants will have to register themselves in the CMAAA portal (http://cmaaa.assam.gov.in) and subsequently submit the detailed project report during the application phase. The portal will remain open till 18 November for registration.

The Chief Minister, however, said that in the five districts where bye-elections have been declared, applicants will get a chance to register for CMAAA 2.0 once the election model code of conduct comes to an end.

CM also said that taking experience from CMAAA 1.0, the eligibility age for the applicants has been raised to 45 years which was earlier 40 years. He also said that the applicants must have skill/experience and knowledge to perform income-generating activity and they must have a scheduled commercial bank account opened before 1st April 2024.

He also said that to be eligible for CMAAA 2.0, the applicants should not be a defaulter in loan repayment taken from any scheduled commercial bank and the applicants' household member spouse or sibling must not be a beneficiary of CMAAA 1.0.

Chief Minister further added that the spirit of Chief Minister's Atmanirbhar Asom Abhijan is to empower the youth of the state and inculcate in them entrepreneurial skills. He also said that through the Abhijan efforts will be made to make the beneficiaries eligible and competent for Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, a flagship scheme of the Central Government that facilitates micro credit/loans up to Rs 10 lakh to income-generating micro-enterprises.

He asserted that CMAAA has been envisaged to create an enabling environment for entrepreneurs by providing financial support to the beneficiaries. He said that through CMAAA 2.0, the government will try to unleash Assam's entrepreneurial spirit and drive the state's growth.

The Chief Minister on the occasion also presented authority letters to CM Fellows, the 130 mentors who have been selected to mentor the beneficiaries of the CMAAA 1.0 and help them to become prospective entrepreneurs.