Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday launched a financial assistance scheme for Udasin Bhakats, providing a monthly support of Rs 1,500 to celibate Vaishnavite monks attached to Satras across the state.
The scheme, announced in the state budget last year, has now been formally implemented.
Addressing the launch programme here, Sarma said the assistance would be directly credited to the bank accounts of eligible Udasin Bhakats and assured that efforts would be made to include any beneficiaries who may have been left out.
Under the initiative, a total of 620 Udasin Bhakats will benefit. Majuli accounts for the highest number of beneficiaries with 474 monks, followed by Jorhat with 54 and Lakhimpur with 22. Others include 14 from Kamrup, 10 from Barpeta, eight each from Dhubri and Goalpara, seven from Nagaon, six each from Golaghat and Nalbari, five from Sivasagar, three each from Sonitpur and Udalguri, and eight from Goalpara district.
The Chief Minister also underlined the role of Satras as centres of Assam’s spiritual and cultural life, noting that Udasin Bhakats dedicate their lives to preserving the Vaishnavite tradition through celibacy and service.
He said extending financial support to them was part of the government’s responsibility to safeguard the state’s heritage.
In a post on social media, Sarma described the Satras as the custodians of Assam’s ethos and values and said the government had taken steps to protect and upgrade these institutions.
"Supporting Udasin Bhakats through monthly assistance was a meaningful way to honour their lifelong commitment to the path of Bhakti," he added.
Majuli, the world’s largest river island and the principal centre of Assamese Neo-Vaishnavism, is home to a large number of Satras and remains the heart of the state’s Vaishnavite monastic tradition.