AVFU, Assam government’s SITA ink MoU to launch ‘Samriddhi Poultry III’ for rural women empowerment

The Assam Veterinary and Fishery University (AVFU), Khanapara, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the State Innovation and Transformation Aayog (SITA), Government of Assam, to implement “Samriddhi Poultry III – An Innovative Approach for Economic Empowerment of Rural Women of Assam through Model Egg Village.”

The MoU was formalised on February 9, marking the launch of the third phase of the ambitious Samriddhi Poultry initiative, following the notable success of its earlier two phases at different locations in the state. The new project will be implemented at Gossaigaon in Kokrajhar district, with a focused aim of empowering rural women through scientific and sustainable poultry farming practices.

The agreement was signed in the presence of Sri Krishna Kanta Bora, State Organising Secretary of Bharatiya Kisan Sangha for Assam, Meghalaya and Nagaland, along with senior AVFU officials including Dr Birendra Nath Bhattacharyya, Deputy Director of Research (Veterinary), and Dr Mihir Sarma, Scientist-cum-Project Investigator, AVFU, Khanapara.

Under Samriddhi Poultry III, women beneficiaries in Gossaigaon will be supported through capacity building, awareness generation and the adoption of improved poultry technologies to enhance household-level egg production. The initiative is expected to significantly improve income opportunities for rural women while strengthening the local economy.

Officials said the project is also aligned with the broader objective of making Assam self-reliant in egg production by promoting organised backyard poultry farming and reducing dependence on external supply. The Model Egg Village concept envisaged under the project aims to serve as a scalable and replicable framework for sustainable rural development across the state.

With Samriddhi Poultry III, the state government and AVFU reaffirm their commitment to inclusive growth, women-led entrepreneurship and innovation-driven rural transformation.