It is heartening to note that the Government has got down to brass tacks in exerting itself for people welfare following three months of hiatus forced by the model code of conduct which came into effect in the month of March and lasted till the first week of June.
Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma recently unveiled his Mukhya Mantri Nijut Moina Scheme for female students to empower them with higher education through measures involving cash transfers and hassle free education.By doing so, he has tried to achieve a two fold objective: curbing the menace of early marriage, and achieving better gross enrolment ratio for female students.
In families with economic constraints, it is generally the education of their girl child that gets the axe as a cost cutting measure. The repercussions of this are not only immediate but also long term. Dropping out of school results in early marriage for girls which then leads to health issues not only for them but for their next generation. By incentivising higher education through this scheme, the Government has reinforced its policy of gender parity which is being reflected in many of its previous policy actions like Orunodoi, Lakhpati Baideo, etc.
What will be important for the Government is to ensure that the scheme reaches out to vulnerable households, especially in tea gardens and char areas. For this to happen, administration at the district level must be geared up to ensure that the scheme achieved its desired objective.
