Guwahati, 17 July (HS): Assam Industries Minister Bimal Borah on Friday said that nearly 50% of the entrepreneurs who received financial assistance under the Chief Minister's Atmanirbhar Asom Abhiyan (CMAAA) failed to properly utilise the funds, making them ineligible for the scheme's second phase.

Addressing a press conference, Borah informed that 25,277 beneficiaries were provided ₹1 lakh each in the first phase of the scheme. However, only 12,331 entrepreneurs qualified to receive the additional ₹1 lakh assistance in the second phase after meeting the prescribed criteria.

The minister further said that 74,694 applications have been received under CMAAA 2.0. All eligible applicants have already been provided with the first instalment of ₹75,000, while the remaining ₹25,000 will be disbursed after July.

Emphasising the importance of the flagship self-employment initiative, Borah said the state government is committed to ensuring the success of the CMAAA scheme and urged beneficiaries to utilise the financial assistance responsibly to strengthen entrepreneurship across Assam.-----------

Hindusthan Samachar / Sriprakash