Staff Reporter
Guwahati: No matter what religion a person in Assam belongs to, he cannot marry more than one woman. If anyone doesn't abide by this policy, he will face seven years in prison.
Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma spoke about this new policy while launching Nijut Moina 2.0 centrally from Guwahati on Monday. The CM said, "We will protect the dignity of women and the dignity of girls until the end. We will introduce new legislation banning polygamy, by which a person marrying more than one woman will face seven years in prison. Nijut Moina is not just fighting child marriage; it has emerged as a potent tool to eradicate several factors which stifle our girls' growth in Assam."
Nijut Moina will benefit 3.50 lakh girl students from Class XII to postgraduate degree. Under the scheme, three slabs are envisaged - Rs 1000 per month for higher secondary students, Rs 1250 for degree students and Rs 2500 for PG students.
The Chief Minister further said, "We have noticed that, after the launch of the Nijut Moina scheme, child marriage as well as dropout rates among girl students have come down. The government has taken strong steps to combat and end child marriage in the state, launching various initiatives and arresting many involved in the practice. I promised to eliminate child marriage from Assam, and this scheme is a bold step in this direction. Apart from the crackdown against offenders, we will not rest until child marriage is consigned to the dustbin of history. The 3.50 lakh daughters of Assam have secured a pathway to higher education under our Nijut Moina scheme."
The CM also said that until a few years back, girls in Assam used to be married off by the age of 14 and become the mothers of 2-3 children by the age of 20. The Assam government had started a war against child marriage in November 2022, and in the last two years more than 8,000 persons involved in this menace were arrested. Now Assam has emerged on top in combating child marriage in the country. By 2026, child marriages will be brought down to zero, he stressed.
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