GUWAHATI: Taking its war against child marriage to a ‘decisive phase’, the Assam government on Sunday began implementing the ‘Nijut Moina’ scheme, encouraging girl students to pursue higher studies.Under the scheme, all girl students from Classes 11 to post-graduate level will be provided with monthly stipends. The stipends are Rs 1,000 for students of Classes 11 and 12, Rs 1,250 for degree students and Rs 2,500 for students pursing post-graduation. The stipends, however, come with two conditions: firstly the students will have to attend their classes regularly, be disciplined and fare well in exams, and secondly, they cannot get married until post-graduation.The daughters of ministers, MPs and MLAs will not be eligible for the stipends. The first instalment was disbursed on Sunday. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the state government was working towards eradicating child marriage by 2026.“On Navratri, our war against child marriage has entered into a decisive phase as we began disbursing monthly financial assistance under #NijutMoina. On the 11th (day) of every month, Assam’s daughters will receive fixed payments to be in college,” Sarma posted on X. He was hopeful that the scheme, launched on August 8, would be a game-changer in the fight against child marriage. “Nijut Moina is unique as it incentivises positive social outcomes, funds higher education, reduces family expenses and bars child marriage by encouraging girls to remain in college. The scheme aims to cover 10 lakh girl students with an outlay of Rs 1,500 crore,” Sarma said.He said overwhelming evidence of past efforts steered the government to take this initiative. “Studies showed how Assam’s crackdown on child marriage has arrested maternal and infant mortality rates. With Nijut Moina, this social evil will get a final nail in the coffin,” he added.For some time, the government has been taking severe action against those indulging in child marriage. During drives carried out by the police, over 3,000 people were arrested. The efforts yielded positive results. A report, released by the India Child Protection in July, stated that there had been a whopping 81% reduction in child marriage cases across 20 districts of Assam between 2021-22 and 2023-24.
Source link
