Assam govt to eradicate child marriage by 2026: Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday asserted that his government is committed to bringing down the number of child marriages in the state to zero by 2026.
He said the second edition of the ‘Nijut Moina’ scheme will enable the eradication of the menace.
“We have renewed our fight against child marriage with the launch of Nijut Moina 2.0, which will cover over 4 lakh girls in Assam, saving them from child marriage and giving wings to their educational dreams,” Sarma said, while launching the second edition of the scheme here by distributing forms to girl students.
The scheme is an important chapter in the state government’s efforts to fight against child marriage and will assist over 4 lakh girls in escaping child marriage to become academically empowered, he said.
“For parents who wish to educate their daughters but face financial constraints, Nijut Moina serves as a source of hope and inspiration,” he asserted.
In Assam, two societies co-exist — one in which 22-year-old daughters go for higher education in universities and the other in which 14-year-old girls are pressured into marriage and motherhood, Sarma claimed.
“We are committed to eradicating this social disparity and bringing down the number of child marriages in the state to zero by 2026,” he added.
Sarma claimed that Assam is the only state in India which provides universal free admission to students.
“Our goal is to ensure that every child in Assam gets access to quality education, irrespective of religion, caste, tribe or gender. We are solely focused on realising this goal,” he said.
The growing number of colleges and universities has broadened the chances for the students, enabling them to pursue diverse educational paths without limitations, he said.
Assam is now self-reliant, determined and full of aspirations with the state’s youth actively contributing to nation-building, Sarma added.
Considering the potential of the scheme towards bringing about large-scale social changes, the parameters of Nijut Moina 2.0 have been expanded to bring more beneficiaries under it to cover students of state universities, the two central universities and self-financing courses.
The second edition of the scheme will cover girl students of first and second year of higher secondary, first and second year of undergraduate and first and second year of postgraduate education.
Girls from all families, irrespective of their economic condition, are eligible for this scheme.
Girl students of class 11 will receive Rs 1,000 per month, those in degree first year will get Rs 1,250 per month and those in post-graduation and B.Ed will receive Rs 2,500 per month.
Married girls, except in those in PG and B.Ed categories, and in-service B.Ed candidates, daughters of ministers,
MPs and MLAs and those receiving scooters under the Banikanta Kakati Award, unless they opt out of the scooter award, are not eligible under the scheme.