Assam announces incentive plan for girl students to eliminate under age marriage

The Assam government in its Budget for 2024-25 presented on Monday proposed to support ten lakh girl students with financial grant as admission incentive to help continue their education to higher secondary, graduation and post-graduation studies.

The Assam government in its Budget for 2024-25 presented on Monday proposed to support ten lakh girl students with financial grant as admission incentive to help continue their education to higher secondary, graduation and post-graduation studies. In her budget speech, Assam finance minister Ajanta Neog said this initiative was to bolster her government's mission to eliminate child marriages. This was her fourth Budget under the leadership of Himanta Biswa Sarma which was formed in 2021.

"Apart from punitive and regulatory measures, we need to empower girl child to decide about when to marry," the finance minister said. "If ten lakh girl children are encouraged to study till graduation and post-graduation, this would also increase the percentage of girls educated beyond Matriculation," she said.

The girl students will be eligible for the benefit under the scheme Mukhya Mantri Nijut Moina (MMNM) only if they study in any government college or education institution. Secondly, the girls married are not eligible for this benefit. An admission incentive of Rs 10,000 will be paid to each of the girl student who joins in Class XI, the minister said.

Similarly, Rs 12,500 will be paid to those girls who join graduation first year. For a girl student who joins in the first year of postgraduation course shall get an admission incentive of Rs. 15,000.

"This is in addition to the existing benefits like free admission, provision of scooty, etc as applicable," the finance minister said in her Budget speech. She proposed to set apart Rs 240 crore towards this Scheme in this 2024-25 budget.

The Assam government under Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday tabled a Rs 2.9 lakh crore Budget for the upcoming 2024-2025 financial year. Also, the state government did not impose any burden of additional tax on the people of Assam.

Reiterating the chief minister's aim to make Assam one of the top five states in the country, she said her government will continue our journey of development to ensure every single citizen of Assam has access to government development schemes. (ANI)

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