Guwahati, Oct 15 Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said that his government has been pursuing measures to encourage education and curb social ills like child marriage, which have witnessed considerable success.
He said the government will expand the reach of such schemes as well as the monetary stipend provided to students in the future.
Sarma was speaking at a programme to distribute cheques for the first instalment for October under the ‘Mukhya Mantrir Nijut Moina Scheme’ and ‘Mukhya Mantrir Nijut Babu Scheme’ for 5.42 lakh students across the state.
Under these schemes, eligible students are offered varying financial assistance per month depending on the level of higher education they pursue.
Under the Nijut Moina scheme, 4,39,598 girl students will benefit this year, with Rs 48.22 crore earmarked for the first instalment. The Nijut Babu scheme will cover 1,02,501 male students, with Rs 10.37 crore being disbursed as the first instalment.
Addressing the gathering, Sarma said that the prevalence of child marriage and early motherhood was high in several districts of the state.
According to the National Family Health Survey 2023, in districts such as Dhubri and South Salmara, a significant proportion of girls were married at the age of 13 to 14 years.
In several parts of the state, girls were becoming mothers at the age of 11 to 12 years, he said.
The chief minister said that to address this social problem, the state government had launched a campaign against child marriage, resulting in the arrest of more than 10,000 people in connection with underage weddings.
Alongside these enforcement measures, the government introduced the Nijut Moina scheme in 2024 to enable girls to continue their education and prevent early marriage, Sarma said.
He said that enrolment of girls in colleges across Assam had increased significantly since then, while the number of girls dropping out of educational institutions midway through their studies had declined.
The chief minister also pointed to a sharp decline in child marriage in Assam, as reflected in the sixth round of the National Family Health Survey.
On the Nijut Babu scheme, Sarma said it was introduced to encourage boys to pursue higher education while reducing the financial burden on their parents, and maintained that it has also resulted in increased enrolment of male students in colleges.
When the number of beneficiaries under a government scheme increases, it generally raises concerns because more funds have to be allocated, he said.
“However, when the number of beneficiaries under schemes such as Nijut Moina and Nijut Babu increases, it does not cause us anxiety. Instead, it fills us with joy that these schemes are helping lakhs of students turn their dreams into determination,” the chief minister said.
He urged students to attend their classes regularly and make the most of the opportunities available to them.
Emphasising the need for relevant and practical education, Sarma said Assam must move towards establishing incubation centres and developing startup ecosystems in every college.
He also highlighted the government’s efforts to expand employment opportunities for young people and said around 1.60 lakh government jobs had been provided in the state over the past five years.
In addition, two lakh young people had been covered under the scheme promoting self-employment. The state government was also working to create an environment conducive to industrialisation and investment, the CM said.
Sarma said that both the Nijut Moina and Nijut Babu schemes would be expanded next year to cover students of Srimanta Sankardeva University, Auniati University, Krishnaguru Adhyatmik University and Pragjyotishpur University.
He also said that female students pursuing ANM, GNM and BSc Nursing courses would also be brought under the Nijut Moina scheme.
Sarma said students could receive the assistance under the schemes for September through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) after the upcoming Durga Puja celebrations.
He added that the government would also consider increasing the financial assistance provided under both schemes in the future.
(PTI News)
