Assam Nijut Moina Scheme 2025 Explained: Financial Aid for Girl Students
The Assam Nijut Moina Scheme, launched in late 2024 by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, is a flagship initiative aimed at boosting girls’ education and preventing child marriage. With a generous ₹1,500 crore allocation, it supports approximately 10 lakh female students from Class XI through postgraduate studies. The scheme combines monthly financial aid with strict conditions on attendance and marital status to promote higher education and delay early marriage.
As of 2025, this flagship initiative continues to reshape Assam’s socio-educational landscape with substantial financial incentives and strategic social interventions. Here’s the latest, comprehensive guide.
What is the Nijut Moina Scheme?
A ₹1,500-crore initiative, the scheme provides monthly stipends to girl students from Class 11 through post-graduation. Its dual objectives are:
- Financial Empowerment: Reducing dropout rates by easing economic burdens on families.
- Social Reform: Preventing child marriage by incentivizing girls to pursue higher education and delay marriage until after graduation.
Key Features Nijut Moina Scheme 2025
The primary goals are twofold:
- Increase female enrolment in higher education.
- Curtail child marriage by linking benefits to school/college attendance and unmarried status.
Beneficiaries include girls in government or government-aided institutions from Class XI to PG level. However, daughters of ministers, MLAs/MPs, and students in private educational institutions are excluded.
The scheme offers tiered financial assistance for 10 months annually (excluding June-July vacations). Payments are disbursed via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) on the 11th of every month
| Education Level | Monthly Stipend | Annual Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Higher Secondary (11th-12th) | ₹1,000 | ₹10,000 |
| Undergraduate Degrees | ₹1,250 | ₹12,500 |
| Postgraduate Courses | ₹2,500 | ₹25,000 |
Eligibility Criteria
- Inclusion:
- Girls enrolled in government or government-aided institutions.
- Must maintain 75%+ attendance and adhere to institutional conduct.
- Postgraduate students may marry during their course but cannot marry before undergrad completion.
- Exclusion:
- Students in private colleges.
- Daughters of MPs, MLAs, ministers, or meritorious girls receiving other incentives (e.g., scooters).
Coverage & Budget
- 10 lakh girls targeted over five years (2024–2029).
- Year-1 (2024): ₹300 crore for 2 lakh beneficiaries.
- 2025 Focus: Expanding reach to remote districts like Dhubri, where child marriage rates exceed 50%.
How the Scheme Tackles Child Marriage
- Data-Driven Approach: Inspired by the National Family Health Survey (2019–21), which revealed 31.8% of Assam’s women aged 20–24 were married before.
- Conditional Aid: Stipends are contingent on girls remaining unmarried until graduation, directly linking education to delayed marriage.
- Early Success: A July 2024 report noted an 81% reduction in child marriages across 20 Assam districts (2021–2024) due to state interventions.
Impact on Girls’ Education
- Enrollment Boost: Expected to add 200,000+ girls to educational institutions annually.
- Dropout Reduction: Addresses the steep decline in girls’ enrollment post-Class 10, driven by poverty or early marriage.
- Holistic Empowerment: Vocational courses (e.g., semiconductor technology) are promoted to enhance employability.
Application Process Nijut Moina Scheme (2025 Guidelines)
- Registration: Through schools/colleges at the start of the academic year.
- Documentation: Bank account details, Aadhaar linkage, and academic records.
- Compliance: Regular attendance and annual KYC updates for uninterrupted DBT.
Forms are available at government institutions or via the Education Department’s portal
Funding & Disbursement
- Total budget of ₹1,500 crore, designed to support 10 lakh girls over four years.
- In the first year, around ₹300 crore has been earmarked to cover approximately 1 million students.
- Funds are disbursed directly to beneficiaries’ bank accounts from October each year, ensuring accountability and transparency .
Conclusion
The Assam Nijut Moina Scheme transcends financial aid—it’s a societal reengineering project. By tying education to economic independence and marriageable age, Assam pioneers a blueprint for gender equity. As 10 lakh girls march toward graduation with state support, they carry not just textbooks, but the promise of an educated, self-reliant, and child-marriage-free Assam.
F.A.Q.
– What is the primary objective of the Nijut Moina Scheme?
The scheme aims to eradicate child marriage by empowering unmarried girls through higher education. It uses direct financial incentives to encourage continued enrollment and delay early marriage.
– Who can apply for benefits?
Eligible beneficiaries include female students from Assam in Classes XI–XII, undergraduate, or postgraduate programs. Students must be enrolled in government or government-aided institutions, remain unmarried until they complete PG, maintain regular attendance, and update bank account KYC. Notably, daughters of MLAs, MPs, and ministers are excluded.
– How extensive is the scheme’s funding and reach?
With a total outlay of ₹1,500 crore, it plans to support 1 million girls over four years. In its initial launch phase, over 1.6 lakh girls received the stipend in 2024, amounting to around ₹240 crore.
– How can students apply for the Nijut Moina Scheme 2025?
Applications are typically initiated at educational institutions starting July for colleges and September for universities. In the first year, students applied through printed forms. From the second year onward, a certificate of continuation signed by the Head of Institution suffices—no new application is needed.
– When are stipends disbursed and via what method?
Stipends are processed monthly, typically around the 11th of each month, and are transferred via Direct Bank Transfer (DBT). The first disbursement for the academic year began in October 2024.
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