Assam resumes scheme to reward girl students with bikes

GUWAHATI: The

Assam government

on Sunday revived its scheme to distribute two-wheelers among

girl students

who secured first division in Class 12 exams.

Altogether, 22,245 girls will benefit from the

‘Pragyan Bharati’ scheme

, under which each of those girls who secured first division (over 60% aggregate marks) in Class 12 state board exams this year will get a scooter. The state government will have to spend Rs 144.3 crore for this purpose.

Chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, while launching the award ceremony on Sunday, handed over scooter keys to five girls at the Dr Banikanta Kakaty Merit Award presentation ceremony in Kamrup district’s Amingaon. The event was organised by the state higher education department under the ‘Pragyan Bharati’ scheme.

“The red-coloured scooters presented on the occasion would carry the success stories of the girls to every nook and corner of the state. The scheme would transform the lives of many girls, boost their self-confidence, besides inspiring many more to take up studies seriously,” said Sonowal, while politely reminding those receiving the bikes to adhere to traffic rules. Lauding the girls, Sonowal said, “The 21st century is the age of women.”

Stating that the central and state governments have been taking numerous steps to uphold and safeguard the dignity of women, Sonowal highlighted schemes such as PM Ujjwala, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao and Jan-Dhan Yojana. He also spoke about the “Arunodoi” scheme that benefits several lakh women of the state and said the state government’s welfare programmes in the last four and a half years have touched the lives of 70 lakh families, including women, and helped become self-sufficient.

In Kamrup and Kamrup (Metro) districts, over 3,000 girls will benefit from the scheme, education officials said. State ministers will hand over the keys to the beneficiaries in other districts on January 2 and 3, 2021.

Once the state government hands over keys to 22,245 girls, the total number of beneficiaries since the launch of the scheme in 2017-18 would cross 40,000.

State education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said though the Assam government launched Dr Banikanta Kakaty Merit Award in 2017-18 and presented scooters to 1,000 girls who secured first division that year, in 2018-19 and 2019-20, the award could not be presented due to various reasons. Himanta said the state government has decided to hand over scooters even to those girls who secured first division in Class 12 exams in 2018-19 and 2019-20 financial years, in February next year. This, a government release said, would benefit 5,000 and 10,000 girls in the two years, respectively.

“I believe this is going to be a great inspiration for girls to pursue higher education. (The scheme) is certain to bring about a change in the lives and the mindset of girl students,” said Himanta.

Law and Guwahati Development Department minister Siddhartha Bhattacharya and minister of state for education, Bhabesh Kalita also delivered speeches on the occasion.

Principal secretary of higher education department B Kalyan Chakravartty delivered the welcome address, while Guwahati MP Queen Oja, MLAs Atul Bora, Pranab Kalita, Suman Haripriya and Rekibuddin Ahmed, commissioner and secretary of education department, Pritam Saikia, director of higher education, Gitimoni Phukan, Kamrup DC Kailash Karthik, country sales head of Hero Moto Corp Ashutosh Verma, were the other dignitaries present on the occasion.