Dehradun, July 23 -- Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Wednesday launched the second phase of the Mukhyamantri Ekal Mahila Swarojgar Yojana (Chief Minister Single Woman Self-Employment Scheme). Addressing the launch event at Mukhya Sevak Sadan at the his Camp Office, Dhami said: "The state government is committed to providing every woman with a strong foundation of dignity, security, self-reliance and independence. This remains our top priority." He also transferred Rs.2.76 crore in financial assistance through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to 488 women beneficiaries. This included Rs.1.55 crore as the first instalment for 212 new beneficiaries under the second phase and Rs.1.20 crore as the second instalment for 276 beneficiaries from the first phase. In the first phase of the scheme, financial assistance of Rs.3.45 crore had been provided to 484 women beneficiaries on February 10, 2024. Dhami said the scheme aimed to economically empower single, destitute, widowed, abandoned and divorced women, besides acid attack survivors, women affected by other criminal incidents and transgender individuals, by helping them establish self-employment ventures. Under the scheme, projects costing up to Rs.2 lakh can be approved for establishing self-employment ventures in the beneficiaries' place of residence or local areas, with the state government providing a subsidy of up to 75%, he said. Dhami said the objective was not merely to "provide financial assistance but to create opportunities for women to become economically independent and live with dignity". He added that the state government was also working to promote women's self-employment and entrepreneurship through schemes such as the Uttarakhand State Rural Livelihood Mission, Sashakt Bahna Utsav Yojana, Mukhyamantri Mahila Swayam Sahayata Samuh Sashaktikaran Yojana and Mukhyamantri Udyamshala Yojana....