Assam opens Nijut Babu Asoni applications for families earning under Rs 4L/annum

Guwahati, Jan 6: The Assam government, on Tuesday, invited applications from eligible undergraduate and postgraduate students for the Mukhyamantri Nijut Babu Asoni, a new financial incentive scheme aimed at supporting boys from economically weaker families in higher education.

Issued by the Higher Education Department, the scheme is positioned as a counterpart to the state’s Nijut Moina Asoni for girl students and seeks to address gender imbalance and dropout trends among male students at the tertiary level.

Under the scheme, male students enrolled in the first year of undergraduate courses in government and provincialised institutions will receive Rs 1,000 per month, while first-year postgraduate students will be entitled to Rs 2,000 per month.

The assistance will be provided for up to 10 months in an academic year through direct benefit transfer (DBT).

Education Minister Ranoj Pegu, while sharing the scheme guidelines and application details on social media on January 6, wrote that the initiative aims to ensure “gender-balanced support” and reduce dropouts among economically vulnerable boys.

According to the executive order issued by the department, the scheme will be implemented during the 2025–26 academic year and will be applicable to regular male students domiciled in Assam whose family income is below Rs 4 lakh per annum.

Students enrolled in private institutions, self-financed courses, or distance education programmes will not be eligible.

The objectives of the scheme include increasing enrolment of male students from economically weaker sections, improving Assam’s overall Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER), and reducing dropout rates at undergraduate and postgraduate entry levels, in line with the goals of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

The guidelines specify that undergraduate male students who are married, those availing the Banikanta Kakati Merit Award, and postgraduate students receiving benefits under the Chief Minister’s Jibon Prerana Scheme will not be eligible.

Beneficiaries will also be required to maintain regular attendance, academic discipline and adhere to institutional conduct rules, failing which the incentive may be withdrawn. No incentive will be paid during summer vacations or any break exceeding one month, the order added.

Earlier, on December 9, while distributing scooters to 11,250 Higher Secondary toppers under the Dr Banikanta Kakati Merit Award at Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had announced that a similar incentive scheme for boys would be rolled out from January 1.

“The initiative is aimed at nurturing a stronger academic environment across the state,” Sarma had said.

The Mukhyamantri Nijut Moina Asoni, a flagship DBT-based financial assistance scheme for girl students, has so far covered over 5 lakh beneficiaries, significantly reshaping the state’s student support framework.

The launch of the Mukhyamantri Nijut Babu Asoni also follows another government initiative aimed at providing holistic support to students appearing for the HSLC and CBSE Class 10 examinations — the Prerona Scheme.

Under Prerona, around 4.4 lakh students across Assam receive a monthly stipend of ₹300 for four months, beginning November 2025.