Guwahati, Dec 22 (NationPress) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma declared on Sunday that child marriage will be completely eliminated from the state by 2026.
He stated, “Upon taking office as Chief Minister, I made a commitment to eradicate the menace of child marriage from the region. Initially, we apprehended approximately 5,000 individuals for their involvement in child marriages. After rigorous police actions, the number of arrests later decreased to 2,000.
The Chief Minister highlighted that in a recent operation against child marriage, around 400 individuals were arrested.
“Recently, we detained about 400 people for their participation in child marriages. The noticeable decline in arrests indicates significant progress, and we are on our way to a time when child marriage will be entirely eradicated from Assam,” he added.
The CM emphasized that in addition to strict enforcement, supportive programs like the Nijut Moina initiative are helping to uplift girl children toward a brighter future.
The Nijut Moina initiative, launched by the state government, aims to support 10 lakh girl students with a budget of Rs 1,500 crore. In its first year, over 1.6 lakh girls are set to receive Rs 240 crore.
Sarma mentioned, “Today, Assam has initiated a significant program by launching Nijut Moina. Under this scheme, girl students pursuing their graduation will receive a monthly scholarship exceeding Rs 1000, while those in post-graduate studies will get Rs 2500 each month to cover educational expenses. We aim for girl students not to rely on their parents for higher education.”
The Chief Minister asserted that with the introduction of this initiative, the instances of child marriage will decline in Assam.
“We expect that Nijut Moina will successfully eradicate the menace of child marriage from the state,” he stated.
Sarma elaborated that a key requirement for this scheme is that girl students must remain unmarried until they complete their post-graduate education.
“The objective of this initiative is to abolish child marriage, so girl students studying at the graduation level must stay unmarried until they complete their undergraduate studies. After they reach the post-graduate level, there are no restrictions on remaining unmarried to benefit from the Nijut Moina scheme. At that point, they will be of the minimum legal marriage age, and we hope that girls marry within a suitable timeframe and lead fulfilling lives,” he remarked.
The Chief Minister also established another stipulation that no daughters of MPs, MLAs, or ministers will be eligible for this financial assistance program.
