Nijut Moina Scheme, a plan which attempts to provide scholarships to ten lakh girls in Assam, was approved and implemented on Thursday by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The CM announced the scheme on X, hailing it as a ‘Brahmastra’ in ending child marriage in the northeastern state. Under this government initiative, one million- Nijut Moina- girls will be given financial aid to further their higher studies. The Assamese government is hopeful that through this, they would be able to combat the social evil of child marriage in the state. Himanta Biswa Sarma is noted for being very vocal in his opposition to child marriage.
Nijut Moina Scheme – details
The scheme aims to increase the enrollment of girls in higher education, reduce the dropout rate of girls, increase the percentage of girls in post-matric education and importantly, eliminate child marriage. It was first announced by the State Finance Minister while presenting the budget for 2024-25. It is to be noted that daughters of MPs and MLAs are not eligible to partake in the scheme, and the scheme is open to all girls in the state, irrespective of financial background. This scheme is the latest in a string of benefits extended to female students in Assam. In 2020, the state government introduced the Pragyar Bharati Scheme, which provided free scooters to girls.
Child Marriage in Assam
In October of 2023, the state government was shot into the limelight for arresting more than one thousand people for child marriage, mainly in the southern, western and central parts of the state. Appreciating the Assam government’s approach in eradicating child marriage, the ICP in its report, titled ‘Towards Justice: Ending Child Marriage’, noted the reduction of the rates of child marriage by 81%. Based on data provided by the National Crime Bureau Records (NCRB) as well as data collected from more than 1,300 villages, the report found positive results of the state government’s mission against child marriage. CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has pledged to eradicate this social evil by 2026.
Political implications
Miyas is a term which refers to Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam. They impact electoral outcomes and have been noted to have spiked rates of child marriage. The government’s moves against child marriage have been perceived as an attack on this community’s culture. Earlier this year, the BJP government repealed the Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Act, and the CM proclaimed that he would not allow child marriage in the state. This was opposed by the Miya community, however, the CM remained steadfast in his approach. In the Lok Sabha polls later, the BJP won nine of the total fourteen seats. The impact of this scheme on the 2026 Assam state elections remains to be seen.
