Ahead of the Assembly elections due later this year, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday announced a new financial assistance scheme for male students and an advance cash gift for women beneficiaries under the Orunodoi scheme.
Addressing mediapersons in Guwahati, Sarma said that from February 1, male students pursuing postgraduate courses will receive a monthly stipend of Rs 2,000, while those enrolled in undergraduate programmes will be given Rs 1,000 per month.
The scheme, named ‘Babu Achoni’, will not apply to students whose parents are government employees or whose annual family income exceeds Rs 4 lakh, the chief minister said.
The announcement comes amid growing demands from male students for financial support after the state government rolled out the ‘Nijut Moina’ scheme in 2024, which provides monthly assistance to female students for higher education. Sarma had earlier assured that the demand would be examined.
In a separate announcement, the chief minister said that more than 37 lakh women beneficiaries of the Orunodoi scheme will receive an advance Bohag Bihu gift on February 20. Bohag Bihu, marking the Assamese New Year, is celebrated in April.
Also read: 11 held in Assam, Tripura for alleged links with B’deshi jihadis
Each beneficiary will receive Rs 8,000 in total, which includes Orunodoi payments from January to April and a special Rs 3,000 Bihu gift, he said.
The timing of the announcements has drawn attention, with the model code of conduct having come into force on February 27 during the 2021 Assembly elections.
Sarma said the government’s welfare initiatives were part of broader efforts to support education and social development. He reiterated the state’s commitment to bringing down child marriage to zero by 2026, noting that the second edition of the Nijut Moina scheme was launched last year.
The expanded Nijut Moina scheme covers female students in Class XI and XII, undergraduate first and second years, and postgraduate first and second years. Girls from all families, irrespective of income, are eligible.
Under the scheme, Class XI students receive Rs 1,000 per month, undergraduate first-year students Rs 1,250, and postgraduate and B.Ed students Rs 2,500 per month. Married women, except those in postgraduate and B.Ed categories, daughters of ministers, MPs and MLAs, and recipients of the Banikanta Kakati Award are excluded unless they opt out of that benefit.
Follow us
