Assam: CM Sarma awards scooters to 11,250 meritorious students

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma launched the distribution of scooters to 11,250 students, including 6,860 girls, who scored 80% and above in the Higher Secondary Examination-2025 under the Dr. Banikanta Kakati Merit Award in Guwahati.

Giving a boost to the young achievers, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma launched distribution of scooters under Dr. Banikanta Kakati Merit Award, supporting 11,250 students including 6,860 girls who scored 80 per cent and above in the Higher Secondary Examination- 2025 at a function held at Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra in Guwahati on Monday.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Sarma said that his government, with the aim of promoting academic excellence, introduced the Dr. Banikanta Kakati Merit Award. He said that under the scheme, the government has given scooters to a total of 1,86,442 students from 2017-18 to 2024-25. He said that for the purpose, the government has already spent more than Rs. 1043 crore.

Congratulating the scooter recipients, Chief Minister Sarma advocated two golden rules for road safety: avoid riding a scooter until they obtain a driving license, and wear a helmet every time they ride.

Changes to Award and New Schemes

The Chief Minister said that the government made minor changes to the implementation of the Dr. Banikanta Kakati Merit Award this year. As a result, the number of students who received scooters fell to 11,250 from a whopping 48,673 last year.

He observed that, even though fewer students received scooters under the Dr. Banikanta Kakati Merit Award this year, the Nijut Moina scheme now covers more than 5 lakh girls. Sarma said that to inspire boys in their studies, a new corresponding scheme like 'Nijut Moina' will be introduced for boys on the first of January. He attributed his decision to building a strong academic environment in Assam.

CM Urges Students to Embrace Positivity

The Chief Minister, on the occasion, also urged the students to embrace positive thinking. He said that people who hold negative thoughts create disorder in society. Students who indulge in negativity often drift from the right path.

He noted that such students eventually fall into the traps of criminal mentality. He said his government has been working since the beginning to fight such harmful mindsets and foster a positive outlook among the students.

He added that students with a positive mindset show strong self-confidence. Even if they fail to achieve an encouraging result, they do not lose hope. In contrast, people with a negative outlook find faults in everything. He said that the human mind and artificial intelligence share a balance in how they form thoughts. The habits and mindset people follow shape their personality, the Chief Minister added.

Assam's Rapid Development Trajectory

Expansion in Medical Education

Speaking about the rapid pace of development in Assam, the Chief Minister said that the state now has more than 25 medical colleges. 15 colleges are already operational, and 10 more are at various stages of construction.

He said that at one point, medical education in the state was not accessible. Only very brilliant students or those from very wealthy families could pursue it because the state had only three medical colleges with 250 seats. He said that the number of medical seats now stands at 2000, and that the tally will continue to grow to 5000 by 2030.

Boost to Higher and Technical Education

The Chief Minister said that those days were gone when students from Assam had to travel to cities like Pune for higher studies because the state lacked universities. Giving a turnaround, Assam now has two central universities and twenty-five to twenty-six state universities that either function already or remain under construction. He added that the state now has almost 30 engineering colleges, including IIT Guwahati and NIT Silchar, which people once could not even imagine.

New Industrial and Tech Initiatives

Sarma said that Dassault Systèmes has taken steps to set up a facility worth about Rs 200 crores at Assam Engineering College to build a platform for students to create digital tools. Once this project takes shape, students in Assam will receive training in fields related to the design of complex aerospace products. He said that his government has also started an institute in Dibrugarh for maritime engineering that teaches ship repairing.

He said that plans are in the pipeline for setting up a Google data centre in Assam. He also informed that the State government is working to establish a mobile manufacturing unit in the state.

Strengthening the Energy Sector

He said that work on the first green hydrogen plant in Numaligarh will start next year and that the government has already allotted land for it. Sarma also said that the state aims to set up a unit to produce bio-aviation fuel. He also elaborated on plans to build a 3,200-megawatt thermal power plant. A state that once faced severe electricity shortages will supply power to neighbouring states like Nagaland, Meghalaya and Tripura by 2031, the Chief Minister added.

Secretary of Education Narayan Konwar delivered the welcome address for the programme, which Education Minister Ranoj Pegu also addressed. Adviser Higher Education Professor Debabrata Das, along with other dignitaries and students, was present on the occasion. (ANI)

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