Guwahati: The Assam Budget 2023-24 presented by Finance Minister Ajanta Neog on Thursday has promised to provide a number of incentives to the students of the state.
The initiatives under Pragyan Bharati include providing free bicycles to all class IX students, free textbooks, textbook assistance and scooters (commonly attributed as scooty) to meritorious students passing the higher secondary examination.
A mobility grant of Rs 10,000 per year for post-graduate students, admission fee waiver to BPL students, Anundoram Barooah Award to HSLC students and scholarship to students belonging to SC, ST, minority and tea-garden communities were also on the cards.
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In addition to this, the Finance Minister also announced the upgradation of 8 colleges into universities, along with the establishment of a new state university in the name of freedom fighter Shahid Kanaklata Barua and the setting up of a satellite campus of Bodoland University in Udalguri.
The budget has also allocated a total provision of Rs 1200 crore under respective heads for Pragyan Bharati schemes, including the provision of tablets connected with a central agency providing educational material and mentorship to students securing 1st rank in class IX.
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These initiatives as per some experts are expected to bring a much-needed boost to the educational infrastructure of the state, giving the students the opportunity to pursue their academic goals with more enthusiasm.