Assam cabinet approves Rs 108 cr for college admission fee waiver scheme for EWS students

The Assam government has approved Rs 108 crore to reimburse colleges and universities for admission fees waived under its fee waiver scheme for students from economically weaker families, NDTV reported.

The approved grant has also increased the financial assistance for families of deceased Samagra Shiksha employees from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 7.5 lakh, the report read.

The decisions were penned down at the state cabinet meeting, along with a collaboration move with IIT Guwahati's Research Park to develop teaching materials for primary school students, it said.

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Educational institutions in Assam

The slew of decisions also included the merger of Krishna Kanta Handiqui Sanskrit College in Guwahati with Bhaskar Varman Sanskrit University in Nalbari, the report added.

“The Rs 108-crore allocation will be used to compensate educational institutions for admission fees waived for students belonging to families below the prescribed income limit. Under the scheme, eligible students are not required to pay admission fees, with the government reimbursing the colleges and universities concerned,” the report read.

The government has also merged Krishna Kanta Handiqui Sanskrit College in Guwahati with Bhaskar Varman Sanskrit University Nalbari, it said. Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in the report that the college currently has around 37 students, while the university has a much larger student population.

“The existing students will be accommodated at the university, and the college's professors will be absorbed into its faculty,” he added in the report. The cabinet also discussed preparations for the November 29 programme, marking the birth anniversary celebrations of Bharat Ratna Dr Bhupen Hazarika, it said.