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GUWAHATI: Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday launched the distribution of the October instalment under the Mukhya Mantrir Nijut Moina and Mukhya Mantrir Nijut Babu schemes, benefiting 5.42 lakh students across Assam.
At a programme at Jyoti-Bishnu International Kala Mandir in Guwahati, the government announced Rs 48.22 crore for 4,39,598 girl students under Nijut Moina and Rs 10.37 crore for 1,02,501 students under Nijut Babu, taking the total disbursement to Rs 58.59 crore.
Sarma said the Nijut Moina scheme was introduced in 2024 to help girls continue their education and prevent child marriage. Citing National Family Health Survey findings, he highlighted concerns over early marriage and motherhood in parts of Assam and said the government's campaign against child marriage had led to more than 10,000 arrests.
He said enrolment of girls in colleges had increased and dropout rates had declined since the scheme's introduction. The Nijut Babu scheme, meanwhile, aimed to encourage boys from financially weaker families to pursue higher education and ease the burden on their parents.
The Chief Minister urged students to attend classes regularly and make effective use of the financial assistance. He also called for incubation centres, startup ecosystems and career counselling cells in colleges to improve students' skills and employment prospects. Sarma said the state had provided around 1.60 lakh government jobs over the past five years, while two lakh young people had been covered under the Mukhya Mantrir Atmanirbhar Asom Abhiyan to promote self-employment. He encouraged students to prepare for the Union Public Service Commission and other competitive examinations.
He announced that both schemes would be extended next year to students of Srimanta Sankardeva University, Auniati University, Krishnaguru Adhyatmik University and Pragjyotishpur University. Female students pursuing ANM, GNM and BSc Nursing courses would also be included under Nijut Moina.
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