Jorhat district administration felicitates Padmashree Lakhimi Baruah 

Guwahati, Feb 2: The district administration of Jorhat on Monday felicitated the founder and General Manager of Jorhat-based Konoklota Mahila Urban Cooperative Bank, Lakhimi Baruah, who was conferred Padmashree award by the Government of India this year.

In a function organised at the Conference Hall of the Jorhat Deputy Commissioner's office, Jorhat Deputy Commissioner Roshni A Korati presented Baruah with a gamosa, a bouquet of flowers, a xorai and a jaapi.

The Deputy Commissioner lauded the role of Baruah for empowering women, especially at the grassroot level and appreciated her empowering many women to become self-sufficient.

Konoklota Mahila Urban Cooperative Bank was established in May 1998; whose employees are all women. The venture was initially started by Baruah in 1990. This is the only all women's Bank in the north-eastern region. 

The bank now has a customer base of over 45000 and four branches in the district. The bank has given loans to many poor and middle-class women at low rate of interests to become self-reliant.