Sakhi Express (Jeevika Sakhi Express) Scheme, Assam

What is the Sakhi Express scheme?

Sakhi Express, also announced as Jeevika Sakhi Express and written locally as Jibika Sakhi Express, is a mobility support scheme of the Assam State Rural Livelihoods Mission (ASRLM), which works under the Panchayat and Rural Development Department, Government of Assam. The scheme gives serving women community cadres of the self-help group network a scooter, a helmet and a monthly allowance of Rs 500 towards fuel.

Community cadres are the connective tissue of the SHG movement in rural Assam. A Jeevika Sakhi mobilises women into groups and keeps them active, a Bank Sakhi handles the group's dealings with the bank branch, a Krishi Sakhi carries farm advisory into the village, a Pashu Sakhi supports livestock rearing, a Bima Sakhi works on insurance enrolment, and a Master Bookkeeper maintains the group's accounts. All of these roles require travelling: to other villages, to a bank branch, to a veterinary centre, and rural bus services do not run to that schedule.

Sakhi Express addresses that specific problem. By putting a two-wheeler in the cadre's own hands, ASRLM removes her dependence on erratic buses or on a male relative willing to drop her somewhere, and lets her cover several villages in a day.

Reported scale of the scheme

• 4,238 scooters distributed in the financial year 2020-21.
• 6,670 scooters distributed in the financial year 2021-22, handed over at an event addressed by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in August 2022.
• A cumulative total of 10,908 scooters as of that distribution.
• A further 5,242 community cadres approved for scooters and a monthly allowance by the Assam Cabinet at its meeting held on 21 August 2024.

At the 2022 distribution the Chief Minister said recipients should work dedicatedly towards mobilising and motivating members of women-run self-help groups so they become financially independent. Assam's SHG members have shown strong loan repayment discipline with banks and financial institutions, and some groups have begun listing products on e-commerce platforms.

Who is eligible for Sakhi Express?

You can be considered if:

• You are a woman serving as a community cadre under the Assam State Rural Livelihoods Mission: Jeevika Sakhi, Bank Sakhi, Krishi Sakhi, Bima Sakhi, Pashu Sakhi or Master Bookkeeper.
• You are actively working with self-help groups in a rural block of Assam, with your role recorded by the block mission management unit.
• You are a resident of Assam, since the benefit attaches to cadres serving in the state's rural areas.
• Your name is included in the batch approved by ASRLM for the relevant financial year.

You are not eligible if:

• You are not a serving ASRLM community cadre. This is the single most important point: an ordinary SHG member, or a woman with no connection to the SHG network, cannot apply for a scooter under this scheme.
• You are a male cadre or employee. The scheme is directed at women community cadres.
• You work in an urban area outside the rural livelihoods mission's coverage.
• You have already received a scooter under an earlier tranche of the scheme.

How to apply for a Sakhi Express scooter

Sakhi Express does not run on an open public application. The scheme is delivered through the ASRLM structure, and identification happens inside that structure. In practice the route is:

1. Join a self-help group in your village that is part of the ASRLM network, and take an active role in its village organisation.
2. Take up a community cadre role; Jeevika Sakhi, Bank Sakhi, Krishi Sakhi, Bima Sakhi, Pashu Sakhi or Master Bookkeeper — through your village organisation and cluster level federation, with the block mission management unit recording your engagement.
3. Keep your cadre records current at the block mission management unit, including your Aadhaar, bank account and contact number, because the selection list is drawn from these records.
4. Ask your block mission management unit whether a tranche of Sakhi Express has been sanctioned for your block and whether your name is in the list sent to the district mission management unit.
5. Attend the distribution event when your batch is called. Scooters have been handed over at organised district and state-level ceremonies rather than collected individually.
6. Furnish your bank account details so the Rs 500 monthly fuel allowance can be credited to you.

Anyone who is told they can pay a fee to have their name added to a Sakhi Express list should treat that as a warning sign. The list is generated from ASRLM's own cadre records.

What documents does a cadre need?

Cadres should obtain a valid two-wheeler licence even though the scheme announcements do not list it. A scooter cannot lawfully be ridden on a public road without one, and riding without a helmet is separately an offence, which is why the helmet is issued along with the vehicle.

What is the scheme trying to achieve?

ASRLM's stated purpose is to strengthen the self-help group ecosystem by making its frontline workers mobile. Three effects follow.

Wider coverage per cadre. A Jeevika Sakhi on foot or waiting for a bus can realistically service the villages within walking distance. On a scooter she can cover a cluster, so ASRLM gets more group meetings held, more books kept up to date and more bank linkages completed for the same number of cadres.

Better bank linkage. Bank Sakhis exist to bridge the distance between a village group and a branch that may be many kilometres away. Reliable transport directly improves how quickly loan applications, repayments and documentation move.

Personal standing. The scheme has been described in Assam as a form of economic self-reliance for the cadre herself. A woman who owns and rides a two-wheeler in a rural setting gains visible independence, and the Rs 500 monthly allowance covers the running cost so the vehicle does not become a burden.

Common confusions about Sakhi Express

• It is not a Transport Department scheme. Despite the name, Sakhi Express is run by ASRLM under the Panchayat and Rural Development Department. Assam has separately run free bus services for women and senior citizens, which are a different initiative altogether.
• It is not a scooter subsidy for the general public. No portal accepts applications from ordinary residents for a scooter under this name. Websites offering an "apply online" link for Sakhi Express are not official.
• It is not the same as BC Sakhi. ASRLM publishes separate BC Sakhi guidelines covering banking correspondent work by SHG women. A cadre may hold a Sakhi role and separately receive a scooter, but the two schemes are distinct.
• The benefit follows the role. The scooter and the allowance are given because a woman is a serving cadre. A cadre who stops working with ASRLM should confirm with her block office what happens to the allowance.

Where to get help

• Block Mission Management Unit (BMMU) of your development block, the first and most useful point of contact for anything to do with cadre records, batches and allowances.
• District Mission Management Unit (DMMU) of your district, which consolidates block lists.
• Assam State Rural Livelihoods Mission, asrlms.assam.gov.in, which carries ASRLM's scheme documents and contact page.
• Panchayat and Rural Development Department, Government of Assam; pnrd.assam.gov.in, the parent department's integrated portal, which also routes grievances through the CPGRAMS portal.

ASRLM has not published a dedicated Sakhi Express helpline. Cadres should use the block mission management unit or the contact details on the ASRLM portal rather than any number circulated on unofficial scheme websites.