Guwahati: After providing financial assistance to girls in higher education under the “Nijut Moina” scheme, in poll-bound Assam, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday fulfilled his promise made to boys to make higher education affordable by providing monthly financial assistance through the launch of the “Nijut Babu” scheme.According to an official release, in order to prevent dropouts in higher education, state govt rolled out the ‘Mukhyamantrir Niyut Babu’ scheme. Under this, 47,395 first-year undergraduate and postgraduate students from families with an annual income of less than Rs 4 lakh will benefit. Previously, over 2.5 lakh female students benefited from the ‘Niyut Moina’ scheme.“Under “Nijut Babu”, a student who enrols in Assam’s colleges for degree courses will get Rs 1,000 per month for the first 10 months in a year, along with free admission. Moreover, those in postgraduate classes will get Rs 2,000 per month, Sarma said.Sarma added that, besides ensuring a transparent process to solve the unemployment problem, both the “Nijut Moina” and “Nijut Babu” schemes will make sure that no student drops out of educational institutions due to financial constraints.“THE BOYS of ASSAM now have ample reasons to cheer. Male students from economically underprivileged backgrounds enrolled in UG and PG courses will now get monthly financial assistance to carry on with their education, with all avenues of expenses taken care of,” Sarma wrote on X. “This complements our Nijut Moina Asoni started in 2024 for our girls. Together, both schemes will cover 10 lakh students each and bolster our efforts to promote higher education and develop critical thinking amongst our youth whilst warding off the social evil of child marriage,” he added.At the same event held at the Jyoti-Bishnu International Kala Mandir in Guwahati, the CM also inaugurated the ‘Mukhyamantrir Jiban Prerana’ and ‘Jiban Anuprerana’ schemes, initiating direct benefit transfers. Additionally, he virtually inaugurated 31 ‘Udyog 4.0’ technology centres across the state.Under the ‘Mukhyamantrir Jiban Prerana Scheme,’ aimed at smoothing the transition from education to employment, 48,319 recent graduates from public institutions will receive monthly financial aid of Rs 2,500 for 12 months. He said this support is to help the youth prepare for competitive exams or pursue entrepreneurship.Further, to enhance intellectual excellence, the ‘Mukhyamantrir Jiban Anuprerana Scheme’ will provide financial grants to 2,112 researchers, including 13 differently abled researchers. Through direct benefit transfers, general researchers will receive a one-time aid of Rs 25,000, while differently-abled researchers will receive Rs 40,000.To provide world-class skills to the youth, 31 advanced technology centres were inaugurated in collaboration with Tata Technologies Limited in 17 ITIs and 14 polytechnics. These centres will offer courses in advanced manufacturing technology, automation, and digital design. The goal is to complete 24 more such centres by June.“Modern technology centres opened in about 31 ITIs and polytechnics in Assam. The Assam govt and Tata Technologies jointly invested approximately Rs 3,000 crore in this massive project,” Sarma said.He noted that this ambitious project and its associated initiatives aim to transform Assam’s traditional education system into a more dynamic one. A new agreement with Tata NELCO will soon be finalised to gradually establish these technology centres in Assam’s high schools and higher secondary schools.The CM said world-renowned Dassault Aviation company will establish a special centre at Assam Engineering College in Guwahati, where students will gain knowledge about aeronautic engineering and the maintenance of Rafale aircraft.
