Syllabus: GS-II: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections.

Why in the news?

Assam launched Nijut Moina 2.0 cheque distribution at Guwahati (Sarusajai), with the Chief Minister terming it a “beacon of hope” for every girl child. The scheme’s coverage will more than double from 2025–26, with Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to hit bank accounts on the 10th of every month from next cycle. The CM also linked the scheme to deterring child marriage, alongside broader skilling and jobs pipelines.

About Nijut Moina Asoni (Mukhya Mantri Nijut Moina Scheme)

Objectives

The main objectives of Mukhya Mantrir Nijut Moina Scheme are as follows: 

• To increase enrollment of girl students in Higher Education. 
• To increase the percentage of girls educated beyond matriculation in Assam. 
• To reduce dropouts among girl students. 
• To increase the overall GER of the State. 
• To eliminate the social evil of child marriage.

Entitlements (per month; max 10 months/academic year)

• Class XI–XII: ₹1,000
• Integrated teacher education & undergraduate courses: ₹1,250
• Post-graduate courses: ₹2,500
• Payment mode: Cheques issued at the 2.0 launch; DBT from next month onward.
• No incentive, paid during summer vacation or any such vacation for more than one month.
• For academic session 2024-25, benefits can be availed for only 1 month.
• Scheme, not effective during the months of June and July every year.

Eligibility (inferred scheme design cues)

• Girl students enrolled in Class XI–XII / UG / PG / Integrated teacher education in recognized institutions in Assam.
• Likely Aadhaar-seeded bank account & active enrollment/attendance; zero-dropout condition used as performance signal.

Exclusions

The following categories of students are excluded:

• Married girls, except those admitted to postgraduate (PG) and Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) courses are not eligible.​
• Girls who are in service and admitted to B.Ed. courses on deputation are excluded.​
• Daughters of Ministers, Members of Parliament (MPs), and Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) are ineligible for benefits.​
• Girl students who receive scooters as part of the Banikanta Kakati Award under Pragyar Bharati Scheme.
• Girl students who do not attend regularly or are involved in undesirable activities like ragging will be excluded.​

These criteria help ensure that the financial assistance reaches the most deserving and targeted populations to promote higher education and prevent child marriage.

Current status & scale-up (2024–26)

• 2024–25 beneficiaries: 1,61,302
• 2025–26 (projected): 3,50,265 (~2.17× increase)
• Zero second-year dropout reported among promoted first-year cohorts last year.
• Administrative upgrade: Shift to DBT to reduce leakages and delays.
  

Other Complementary measures announced

• Anti–child marriage drive: ~8,000 arrests over two years; scheme used as preventive incentive (schooling ↔ later marriage).
• Matric examinee support: ₹300/month from Nov 15 till exam end (Class X) to stabilize transitions into Class XI.
• Girls’ enablement stack: Free college admission, bicycles (Class IX), scooters for meritorious HS students, women’s reservation in govt services.
• Skilling & placements: Training women for Tata Semiconductor, Jagiroad; nursing placements in Singapore; Japan/South Korea job pathways.
  

Significance of the Scheme for Assam

• Educational outcomes: Cash support raises attendance, reduces dropout, and improves transition into UG/PG—especially for first-generation learners.
• Demographic dividend: Delays early marriage and first birth; improves maternal/child health over the medium term.
• Labour-market readiness: Signals a pipeline of female graduates for Assam’s emerging sectors (electronics, healthcare, services).
• Gender equity: Normalizes continued schooling for girls in communities with high opportunity costs and social pressure to marry early.
• Poverty mitigation: Stabilizes household budgets during academic months; lowers debt for fees/hostels/transport.
  

How Nijut Moina is becoming a “hope platform”

• Predictable income support aligned to the academic calendar builds parental confidence to keep girls in school.
  
• Merit plus inclusion architecture (with bicycles/scooters/free admission) reduces non-tuition frictions.
  
• Clear monthly DBT date (10th) improves cash-flow planning for families.
  
• Social signaling: Public ceremonies & success stories shift norms—education first, marriage later.
  

Implementation challenges

• Targeting accuracy: Ensuring all eligible girls, including those in remote/tea-garden/char areas, are onboarded.
  
• Leakages/ghost beneficiaries: Needs strong e-KYC, institution verification, and real-time audit.
  
• Dropout beyond stipend months: Support ends after 10 months; exam/holiday months can still stress budgets.
  
• Quality of education: Cash transfer must be paired with teacher availability, hostels, safe transport, STEM labs.
  
• Intersectional barriers: Early marriage norms, household care burden, and safety concerns can still pull girls out.
  

Way forward

• Unified EMIS–DBT stack: Live linkage of enrolment, attendance, promotion → automated DBT with grievance redressal.
  
• Equity top-ups: Higher stipend for hostellers, tea-tribe/char areas, orphans, SC/ST where costs are higher.
  
• Learning + livelihood bridge: Add exam coaching vouchers, career counseling, internships (state PSUs, industry).
  
• Transport safety: Girls’ bus passes, last-mile e-rickshaw vouchers, GPS-tracked routes in vulnerable areas.
  
• Hostel & sanitation: Expand Kasturba-type girls’ hostels, menstrual hygiene management, and campus safety apps.
  
• Conditionality light, outcomes heavy: Keep conditions minimal (enrolment/attendance) but track outcomes (transition to UG, age at marriage).
  
• Community contracts: School Management Committees & SHGs to co-monitor dropout risks and re-enrolment drives.
  
• Ed-tech access: Device/library corners and data coupons to reduce digital divide for girls.
  
• Convergence: Tie with NSQF skilling, Apprenticeship, NHB/PMAY-Hostel blocks near colleges.
  
• Independent evaluation: Annual RCT/quasi-experimental studies on learning, retention, marriage age, employment.
  

Conclusion

Nijut Moina Asoni is more than a stipend—it’s a norm-shifting, future-shaping instrument. By cutting the economic drag on girls’ schooling and aligning with anti–child marriage enforcement, skilling, and jobs, Assam is building a ladder from classrooms to careers. If the state sustains DBT reliability, sharp targeting, and quality upgrades in schools and colleges, Nijut Moina can become a national template for gender-responsive human-capital policy.

UPSC Mains Practice Question

“Direct cash transfers like Assam’s Nijut Moina Asoni can be powerful tools for girls’ education and delaying child marriage, but their success hinges on delivery certainty and ecosystem supports.” Discuss with a policy roadmap. (250 words)

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