Guwahati, Aug 6 (IANS) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday kick-started the second phase of the ambitious Nijut Moina scheme to help the education of girl children across the state.

Under the second phase, at least 4 lakh girls in Assam are set to receive financial support to carry out their education.

The Chief Minister argued that this initiative was launched to eradicate child marriage from the state.

He said, “We have renewed our fight against child marriage with the launch of #NijutMoina2.0, which will cover over 4 lakh girls in Assam and save them from child marriage, whilst giving wings to their educational dreams.”

The eligible girl students from the Higher Secondary, Under Graduate, Post Graduate, B.Ed and Integrated Teacher Education Programme are covered under the Nijut Moina initiative.

The Chief Minister has directed District Commissioners and Principals to ensure smooth and transparent implementation of the scheme with an emphasis on maximum outreach.

CM Sarma said that this initiative aims at empowering girl students by providing financial incentives, reducing school dropout rates, and promoting higher education among young girls, especially from underprivileged backgrounds.

In its second phase, the scheme seeks to expand coverage and increase the scheme’s impact by ensuring the timely delivery of benefits, and enhanced coordination among district-level authorities.

During the virtual interaction, the Chief Minister emphasised the importance of seamless implementation and urged all stakeholders to ensure efficiency and maximum outreach.

CM Sarma said: “Nijut Moina 2.0 is not just a welfare scheme, it is our pledge to support the dreams and education of every girl in Assam. By investing in girls’ education, we are investing in the future of the state.”

The Chief Minister also directed officials to maintain an updated database, streamline beneficiary identification processes, and undertake awareness campaigns at the grassroots level to ensure no eligible student is left behind.

He also stated that Nijut Moina 2.0 includes resident girl students of Assam studying in Central Universities like Tezpur and Assam University.

–IANS

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