Assam govt hands over first installment of monthly stipend to girl students under new scheme

GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday handed over the first instalment of monthly stipends to girl students of class 11 to post-graduation under a new government scheme. The scheme was launched in August by the chief minister. He handed the cheques for the first month to the students at a programme in Guwahati, while similar functions were organised across the state in which the girls received the maiden instalment under the ‘Nijut Moina’ scheme.

Speaking on the occasion, Sarma emphasised the dual purpose of promoting women's education and preventing child marriages through it. Sarma said the drop-out rate among girl students, especially as they reach higher levels, was high and analysis of the reasons had pointed to multiple reasons. Primary among the reasons is poor economic conditions, getting engaged in jobs while pursuing studies and early marriage, he said. “We have two aims behind this scheme, one is to ensure that the girls complete their studies.

And, second is that our girls are at least graduates when they get married,” the CM added. He said that while the government has been running different schemes to encourage women's education, like free admission and other incentives, the ‘Nijut Moina’ programme is to provide the girls with the financial help needed to attend classes regularly. Under the scheme, all girls studying higher secondary will get Rs 1,000 every month, it will be Rs 1,250 for degree students and Rs 2,500 for girls doing post-graduation.

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Except for those students studying in private colleges, all girls irrespective of their financial background will be included in the scheme. From next month onwards, the amount will be credited into the bank accounts of the students and they will receive the stipend for 10 months in a year, with a gap of two months in June and July during summer vacation, Sarma said. “For the girls to continue availing the stipend, they must not indulge in any activity unbecoming of a student and follow proper conduct and behaviour,” he added.

He also said that married women pursuing post-graduation or B.Ed will be eligible for the scheme, but if any girl is to tie the knot before completing under-graduation, they will stop receiving the stipend. “Gender equality and women's education are very important for us and until we can make women's education universal, society cannot progress,” the CM maintained. He also said the government will come up with a scheme for the boy students in its next annual budget. On opposition parties’ criticism that the government is creating ‘beneficiaries’ through such schemes, Sarma maintained that if help is not given to female students, the dropout rate could go up substantially.

“The Congress says that we are creating beneficiaries. I say that we are creating a new generation that is educated and will lead the state to become one of the topmost in the country,” he asserted. Sarma had said earlier that an estimated Rs 1,500 crore would be required for the scheme for five years which will give the incentives to around 10 lakh girls in total. The financial load in the first year, covering around two lakh girls, will be Rs 300 crore.