The Orunodoi Scheme is the most popular scheme introduced on Dated Dispur on the 14th of August 2020, by the government of Assam. According to government information, around 17 million women, in Assam and an additional 10.5 will receive benefits from the scheme.
The Orunodoi scheme is considered the leading initiative among the Ashtadash Mukutar Unnoyonee Maala, was introduced by the Finance Minister during the Budget Speech of 2020-21 in paragraph 152 to Para 167.
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Aim of the Orunodoi Scheme
The primary aim of the Scheme is to eliminate poverty and promote socioeconomic inclusion of financially vulnerable families in the state. This will be achieved through regular financial aid provided via direct benefit transfer (DBT), with monthly cash transfers to ensure a minimum monthly income for underprivileged families. Another key objective of the Scheme is to streamline and consolidate existing schemes by utilizing the DBT platform, in order to enhance their effectiveness and outcomes.
To ensure clarity, certain terms used in the Scheme have specific definitions. For example, a “household” is defined as comprising the eldest primary breadwinner (male), his wife, their dependent children, and any dependent relatives who live with them and share meals from a common kitchen. If a group of unrelated individuals live in the same house but maintain separate food arrangements or kitchens, they should be considered as separate households.
Each household can nominate an adult female member who is at least eighteen years of age to receive the benefits of the scheme. However, if the only female member of a household is below eighteen years of age on the cut-off date, the “Male Head” of the household can be nominated instead, subject to meeting the eligibility criteria, until the female member turns eighteen.
The Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme enables the direct transfer of benefits and subsidies from various social welfare programs into the bank accounts of eligible beneficiaries.
The distribution of the Orunodoi Scheme’s benefits will target 15,000 beneficiaries per Legislative Assembly Constituency (LAC), and if the population of a LAC exceeds 2 lakhs, the target will be raised to 17,000 beneficiaries per LAC. The target will be further divided by Gaon Panchayat into rural areas and Village Council Development Committee (VCDC) in Sixth Schedule Areas, and by municipalities and town committees in urban areas, and will be distributed on an Assembly segment-wise basis. Overall, the scheme will benefit 19 lakh households in the state.
If a Legislative Assembly Constituency falls in two districts, the number of beneficiaries assigned to the LAC in one district will be proportionate to the number of voters in that district. The District Level Monitoring Committee may make slight adjustments to the number of beneficiaries while ensuring that the total number of beneficiaries assigned to a particular LAC is not significantly changed.
Scope of The Orunodoi Scheme
Under The Orunodoi Scheme, eligible beneficiaries will receive monthly financial assistance from the Government of Assam to purchase medicines, pulses, sugar, and essential fruits and vegetables. Each beneficiary family will receive Rs. 400 per month to purchase medicines for their health needs, Rs. 200 per month to cover 50% of the cost of 4 kgs of pulses, and Rs. 80 per month to subsidize 50% of the cost of 4 kgs of sugar per household. Additionally, Rs. 150 per family per month will be provided to purchase essential fruits and vegetables that go beyond what they grow on their homestead farms. In total, each family will receive a consolidated inflow of Rs. 830 per month for medical and nutritional support.
| SL NO | PURPOSE | AMOUNT |
| 1 | Procure medicines | INR 400 |
| 2 | 50% subsidy for 4 kgs of pulses | INR 200 |
| 3 | 50% subsidy for 4 kgs of sugar | INR 80 |
| 4 | Fruits and vegetables | INR 830 |
Eligibility The Orunodoi Scheme
Economically backward households in Assam will receive financial assistance through Direct Benefit Transfer. The first phase of The Orunodoi Scheme will cover approximately 19 lakh households at a rate of 15,000 households per legislative assembly constituency. Additionally, constituencies with more than 2 lakh voters will have an additional target of 2,000 households.
To be eligible for The Orunodoi Scheme, applicants must be permanent residents of Assam and presently reside in the state. Their composite household income should be less than Rs. 2 lacks per annum, and the nominated female member must have a bank account that matches the scheme records. If the beneficiary does not have a bank account, one must be opened prior to the approval of the application.
Priority will be given to households with widows, divorced or unmarried females, separated females, and any specially-abled member of the household. Additionally, poorer families, whether they are covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) or not, will also receive priority.
Not Eligible for The Orunodoi Scheme
The scheme will automatically exclude the following households:
Those without any female members.
Current and former Members of Parliament (MPs), Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), and current Members of Panchayati Raj Institutions and Urban Local bodies.
All regular serving or retired officers and employees of Central/State Government Ministries/Offices/Departments, their field units, Central or State PSES and attached offices, and Autonomous Institutions under the Government, as well as regular employees of Local Bodies and PSUs.
All regular serving employees of Cooperatives Societies registered under the Assam Co-operative Societies Act 2007, which are partially or fully funded by the Government of Assam or the Government of India or any of its Ministries/Departments/Offices.
Doctors, Engineers, Lawyers, Chartered Accountants, Architects, and Registered Government contractors.
Income taxpayers.
Farmer families that own more than 15 Bighas of agricultural land or households owning a tractor.
Household owning a four-wheeler or mechanized boat. (Having a two-wheeler is not an exclusion criterion).
Household owning a refrigerator, washing machine, or air conditioner. The eligibility of beneficiaries under the Scheme shall be determined as of 01.04.2020 and shall be considered for eligibility of benefits under the Scheme for the next year.
Implementation of The Orunodoi Scheme
The implementation of the Scheme will be structured as follows: The Finance Department of the Government of Assam will oversee the rollout, implementation, and operational monitoring of the Scheme. The Commissioner & Secretary of, the Finance Department, will act as the State-level Nodal Scheme Implementation Agency and supervise its implementation.
At the district level, the implementation strategy will be executed under the direct supervision of the respective Deputy Commissioners. To monitor the progress of The Orunodoi Schemee, a District Level Monitoring Committee (DLMC) will be established, consisting of the Deputy Commissioner as the Chairperson, all MLAs of the district as Members, the District Development Commissioner as the Member-Secretary, ADC Development as a Member (in the absence of DDC in the district), CEO of Zilla Parishad as a Member, and three members nominated by the State Government.
To assist the applicants in each district and facilitate the implementation process at the district level, four Orunodoi Sahayaks may be appointed in all Legislative Assembly segments for a fixed pay of Rs. 15000/- per Sahayak per month for a period of two months in all districts. The qualification of the Orunodoi Sahayak will be determined by the District Level Monitoring Committee, with preference given to candidates who hold a graduate degree in any stream, a one-year computer diploma course certificate, and are not more than 35 years old on the day of publishing the recruitment advertisement.
Implementation Process of The Orunodoi Scheme
The District Level Monitoring Committee, chaired by the DC, will appoint them after scrutinizing the applications. The implementation process of the Scheme will comprise the following sequential steps: Launch of the Scheme: The Scheme will be formally launched on 2nd October 2020 and widely publicized in print, audio/visual media, social media, etc. to create awareness among its intended beneficiaries.
Selection of prospective beneficiary households will follow a process as per the Guidelines, with the District Level Monitoring Committee responsible for preparing a list of eligible beneficiaries. The preliminary selection of beneficiaries will be done at the level of Gaon Panchayat (GP), Village Council Development Committee (VCDC), or Urban Local Body (ULB) based on the eligibility criteria outlined in paragraph 5.1.
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An undertaking cum checklist of eligibility conditions, as outlined in Annexure ‘A’, will be prepared for each proposed beneficiary household. Only one such undertaking cum checklist should be prepared. The undertaking cum checklist forwarded by the GP/VCDC/ULB will be compiled LAC-wise by the Member Secretary of DLMC and put up to the District Level Monitoring Committee for prioritization and selection based on priority criteria.
After prioritization and selection of beneficiaries, the District Level Monitoring Committee will ensure the filling up of the Detailed Application Form (DAF), as provided in Annexure ‘B’. The approved beneficiaries will fill up the DAF, with the assistance of Orunodoi Sahayaks at the GP/VCDC/ULB level. The DAF will be used to collect bank details and other necessary information, and the self-affidavit in the DAF will be signed by the selected beneficiaries, specifying the eligibility conditions.
List dissemination: Upon approval of the final list, it will be disseminated through upload. However, personal data disclosure should be limited to necessary transparency requirements. Beneficiary validation: The DBT Cell within the Finance Department will validate beneficiary details, such as account number, IFSC code, and name, through a web portal.
The GP Secretary, Executive Officer of ULB, and Municipal Commissioner of ULB will coordinate and rectify any incorrect beneficiary details. SMS-based notifications will be sent to the applicant and the concerned officials if any rectification is required. Money transfer on DBT mode: After verifying and validating the bank account details of beneficiaries through PFMS, the Finance Department will transfer money periodically based on the timeline fixed by the department.
Money will only be transferred to the identified beneficiary account. Annual rectification: The approved beneficiary list will be reviewed after each financial year in a Special Gaon Sabha/General Body of the ULB for errors of inclusion/exclusion. Requests for exclusion/inclusion in the beneficiary list, subject to the overall limit, may be put up by the Gaon Sabha of GP/Gaon Sabha of VCDC/General Body of ULB.
Each request will be verified on a case-by-case basis by the District Committee, ensuring that no eligible person already benefiting from the Scheme is deprived. Use of IT Platform: The Finance Department will develop a centralized portal and dashboard for online application submission, beneficiary list uploading, objection/grievance uploading, and decision-making.
The department will also maintain all beneficiary data in soft format centrally in a database. The Deputy Commissioners will store all records and supporting documentation for future requirements, with assistance from Circle Office, Block Development Offices, ULBs, and Gaon Panchayat Offices.
Allocation of funds: The proposed allocation for administrative expenses, including IEC activities, the development and support of the online portal, and other associated administrative activities at the state and district level, such as appointment and remuneration of contractual Orunodoi Sahayaks, shall not exceed 3% of the scheme outlay.
Power to address difficulties: In case of any difficulty in implementing the provisions of the Scheme or following instructions issued thereunder, the Finance Department, Govt. of Assam, may take the necessary action by issuing appropriate instructions to overcome such difficulties.
Recovery in case of a fraudulent claim: If at any point during the Scheme, it is discovered that an applicant has made a false claim and is not eligible for the benefits, he/she will be responsible for reimbursing the entire amount received with interest.