By NE NOW NEWS
Guwahati: Future Edge has launched a “Minister Report Card” series, a data-driven assessment initiative evaluating the performance of key ministers in the Assam government during the 2021–2026 assembly tenure.
The series examines ministerial performance using indicators such as budget utilisation, implementation of manifesto promises, governance outcomes, infrastructure development, institutional reforms, welfare delivery, public communication, and citizen feedback.
The reports are based on government data, official records, policy documents, departmental updates, and field assessments.
The first report in the series focuses on Assam’s education minister Ranoj Pegu, covering the departments of school education, higher education, and welfare of plain tribes and backward classes.
According to the assessment, the education sector saw large-scale recruitment during the period, with over 50,000 vacancies filled between 2021 and 2026. This includes more than 40,000 appointments under the Directorate of Elementary Education and over 11,000 under the Directorate of Secondary Education.
The report also cites infrastructure expansion, including the modernisation of over 1,500 schools under the Smart School initiative and the extension of smart classroom facilities to around 3,883 schools across Assam.
It notes the growth of higher education infrastructure with 23 state universities and 24 model degree colleges during the tenure.
On governance indicators, the report estimates a promise delivery rate of 85–90 percent, scheme implementation at around 85 percent, average central fund utilisation at 86 percent, and overall budget utilisation between 84 and 105 percent.
It also records improvements in student-teacher ratios, with the lower primary level improving from 28:1 in 2021 to 22:1 in 2026, and the higher secondary level improving from 31:1 to 27:1.
The report mentions the expansion of welfare initiatives such as the Nijut Moina Scheme, Mising-medium schools, tea garden education outreach, and tribal livelihood programmes under Van Dhan Vikas Kendras.
It also points to several challenges during the tenure, including the HSLC paper leak controversy in 2023, delays in ICT infrastructure rollout, declining budget utilisation after FY22, and student protests linked to the Dibrugarh University issue in 2026.
Based on its assessment framework, the report assigns Ranoj Pegu an overall governance rating of 4.2 out of 5.
Future Edge said the initiative aims to promote evidence-based political discussion and improve public accountability through structured performance evaluations of elected representatives.
The organisation said similar report cards on other ministers of the Assam government will be released in the coming days.
Future Edge described itself as a research and public affairs platform focused on governance analytics, public policy tracking, political communication, and electoral research in Northeast India.