Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma launched Orunodoi 2.0 in New Delhi through virtual mode on December 14 from the conference hall of Assam House.
“Our Government has been extending economic and nutritional security to lakhs of financially vulnerable families across the State and amongst them, the foremost has been Orunodoi scheme described as the foremost bead among the Ashtadash Mukutar Unnoyonee Maala in the Assam Budget 2020-2021,” said Dr Sarma, adding that the greater version of Orunodoi is being launched to ensure the benefits reach the financially vulnerable and underprivileged families of Assam.
Altogether 10.54 lakh fresh beneficiaries have been added under the greater version of Orunodoi 2.0. With the new inclusion, the total number of beneficiaries in the State will be around 27 lakh.
The total financial outlay for Orunodoi is
₹ 4,142 crore per year, making it one of the largest direct beneficiary transfer (DBT) schemes in the country.
Under Orunodoi, beneficiaries of Indira Miri Universal Widow Pension Scheme will also be enrolled. They will get ₹ 1,200 per month.
Later, the Chief Minister interacted with the members of the district-level monitoring committees and asked them to ensure smooth and hassle-free implementation of the scheme.
The conduct of DLMC meetings for finalisation of beneficiaries will take place from January 1 to 15, 2023 while distribution of application forms among selected beneficiaries on January 20, 2023. The collection and uploading of application forms in the portal will be completed on February 28, 2023.
Earlier, Principal Secretary, Finance, Samir Sinha delivered the welcome address while Commissioner and Secretary, Finance, Jayant Narlikar, gave a presentation on Orunodoi 2.0 Principal Resident Commissioner, New Delhi, Rajeev Chandra Joshi was also present on the occasion.
A revision of the list of Orunodoi beneficiaries by excluding those who no longer need the financial grant and including others irrespective of political ideologies have been undertaken recently. “An Orunodoi month was conducted from August 20 this year during which a door-to-door survey of the beneficiaries was carried out to entail a process of verification which led to purification and enhancement of the database,” an official of the Finance Department said.
Orunodoi, the poverty alleviation scheme, launched on December 1, 2020, entails a monthly grant of ₹ 1,250 to each beneficiary. It is one of 18 flagship schemes of the Government of Assam in operation. The Orunodoi benefit is usually transferred to the bank account of each beneficiary by the 10th of every month.
