India (Commonwealth Union)_ The government of Assam will provide scooters to around 36,000 deserving students, primarily girls, who passed the higher secondary examinations this year. Education Minister Ranoj Pegu addressed the media following a meeting headed by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and stated that the state cabinet has approved the proposal to implement the scheme at a cost of INR 258.9 crore.
The minister added that scooters will be distributed to 35,800 students, including 29,748 girls who passed in first class and 6,052 boys who earned 75 percent. He stated that the Department of Higher Education will also give financial help to students for registration and insurance. According to the minister, the cabinet also agreed to increase the monthly salary of assistant professors who are working for fixed salaries at provincialized colleges to INR 55,000.
Additionally, Tourism Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah stated that the cabinet approved the guidelines for awarding certificates to hill tribes in plains and plain tribes in hills. He added that the caste certificates would be given by the deputy commissioners as part of “Mission Bhumiputra” to make them eligible for economic, educational, and job benefits provided by the state government. Baruah stated that it was also decided that the Hyatt Group would construct a hotel at Kaziranga to promote tourism. All school principals will be provided with a revised application format for caste certificates by the Deputy Commissioners. According to the IT Act, caste certificates would be available in digital lockers. The corresponding Deputy Commissioners will digitally sign the applications.
According to the National Statistics Office (NSO), Assam is one of the top five states in terms of literacy. However, according to 2011 census statistics, the male literacy rate in Assam was 78.81%, while the female literacy rate was only 67.27%. In order to address this problem, the Assam government frequently introduces initiatives like this to increase the rate of female education in the state.
