The following is from the Sentinel. Subhrajyoti Bharali was a netter. He might still be. It is a very encouraging report. We hope to hear more about this extremely dedicated young man's venture. Hope he does well.
cm Grameen-type micro credit lights up Morakalong By a Staff Reporter GUWAHATI, Dec 24: Amidst the gloom, there is some light in Assam now. Micro-credit programmes are bringing a ray of hope for the rural populace in the State. Till a few years back, villagers at Morakalong in Morigaon district thought that they were cursed to face nothing but grim poverty from the day of their birth. But today, the villagers have five community huts to discuss their problems and possible solutions in a common platform. Besides, the villagers own power tillers, pump sets, poultry firms and piggeries. "Having been trained at almost every institution in India specializing in the rural and social sector, I came to work for the poor and underprivileged section of the society with the DRDA at Panchkula in Haryana. But I was forced to leave the place due to rampant corruption," Subhra Jyoti Bharali who has been making a case for developing specialized credit rating instruments for rural areas in Assam told The Sentinel here. His brain child Asomi, an NGO, has been able to bring smiles on the faces of villagers in Morigaon district by making them self-sufficient through micro-credit schemes like Suoni Gaon and Credit for Holistic Development Programme (CHDP). Guided by Dr Mohammed Yunus, the founder of Grameen Bank who created a micro-credit revolution in Bangladesh, Bharali has been implementing his micro-credit schemes at Morakalong village with innovative and integrated approach to take up self-sustaining projects. "Economic independance is the main motto of the CHDP. By channelizing financial assistance to the poor and the needy, this programme has been able to create 210 secure livelihoods among 300 families by clubbing them into 27 Self Help Groups. Twenty eight schemes have been chosen by those micro-entrepreneurs for their livelihood. Bharali said Asomi is going to put its anchor for its third venture, Operation Rainbow- a complete solution to farmers. Technology and technocrats at the farmers' doorstep is the idea behind this operation, aimed at getting optimum benefits from the primary sector. He said that agriculture, animal husbandry and fishery will be the thrust areas to increase the production base of Assam. He said marketing of the produces of the rural poor and the disadvantaged would be started after achieving the sustainability and viability of the CHDP. Asomi's micro-credit programmes are aimed at providing financial assistance to the poor for taking up income generating activities. He said as a credit delivery vehicle, 150 credit groups have been formed to channelize the funds raised for micro-finance.
