Begin typing your search above and press return to search.

Subsidy for Edu loan, hostel mess fees

By Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Feb 6 - Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today announced a host of schemes for the benefit of the students of the State including free text books, education loans etc and said that special funds have been earmarked for infrastructure development of major educational institutions.

Sarma said that the government is making sincere efforts for the universalization of secondary and higher education which will ensure a bright and prosperous future for millions of students. To this effect, Government had announced several benefits including provision of admission fee waiver upto degree level for students whose parents� annual income is less than one lakh rupees, free text books to students till Class XII and free uniforms to students in government schools upto Class VIII. From 2019-20, for free admission, the Government has decided to enhance the parental income level of Rs one lakh to Rs two lakh. The Government will provide free text books to students upto degree level (Arts, Science & Commerce) from the present level of Class XII. He said that the students in the government schools used to get Rs 400 for purchasing two pairs of school uniform upto Class VIII and this has recently been revised to Rs 600. Now the Government has decided to expand the scope of this free uniform scheme to cover the students of Class IX & X at a cost of Rs 700 per year for uniforms and necessary provision for this has been made in the Budget of the Education Department.

Sarma pointed out that the parents of many students find it difficult to pay the mess fees of the hostels and announced that a subsidy of Rs 700 per month would be paid for ten months for the students staying in the hostels of Government and provincialized colleges as well as in the universities.

He said that the Government is fully committed to the cause of female education and announced that battery operated e-bikes would be provided to girl students who secure first division in higher secondary examinations.An amount of Rs 25 crore has been earmarked in this year�s budget for the implementation of the scheme.

The Minister said that as per data available with the State Level Bankers Committee (SLBC), 15700 students have availed higher education loans and the Government has decided that, for the Financial Year 2019-20,as a one-time gesture, our government will deposit Rs 50,000 in each and every loan account to ensure that the parents and the students get the benefits in one stroke. Rs 50,000 will also be provided as subsidy for each and every educational loan which is sanctioned by the banks during the financial year 2019-20. An amount of Rs 75 crore has been earmarked for this purpose in Financial Year 2019-20.

A special scholarship scheme for girl students belonging to the minority communities has also been announced in the Budget and an amount of Rs 200 crore has been earmarked for it.

The Finance Minister also announced that Rs 362 crore has been earmarked for infrastructure development of 20 major educational institutions of the State.

The Government also decided to take steps for establishment of Srimanta Shankardev Chairs in all the leading universities of the State, while , a South Asian Study Centre would be set up in Gauhati University. A Siu Ka Pha Chair will be established in Dibrugarh University, while a science college is proposed to be set up at Dokmoka.

Next Story