Promoting young achievers, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday launched the distribution of scooters under the Dr. Banikanta Kakati Merit Award at a ceremony held at Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra in Guwahati, supporting 11,250 students, including 6,860 girls, who secured 80 percent and above marks in the Higher Secondary Examination-2025. Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Sarma said that his government has initiated the Dr. Banikanta Kakati Merit Award with the objective of promoting academic excellence.
He informed that under this scheme, the government has provided scooters to a total of 1,86,442 students from 2017-18 to 2024-25. He further stated that the government has so far spent over Rs. 1043 crore for this purpose. Congratulating the scooter recipients, Chief Minister Sarma advocated two golden rules of road safety: refrain from riding a scooter until obtaining a driving license and always wear a helmet.
The Chief Minister said that the government has made minor changes in the implementation of the Dr. Banikanta Kakati Merit Award this year. As a result, the number of students receiving scooters has decreased from 48,673 last year to 11,250 this year. He said that, although fewer students received scooters under the Dr. Banikanta Kakati Merit Award this year, the Nijut Moina scheme now covers over 5 lakh girls. Sarma said that a new scheme similar to ‘Nijut Moina’ will be launched for boys from January 1st to motivate them towards their studies.
He attributed this decision to the creation of a strong academic environment in Assam. On the occasion, the Chief Minister also urged the students to adopt a positive mindset. He said that people with negative thoughts spread disorder in society. Students who indulge in negativity often stray from the right path. He said that such students eventually fall into the trap of a criminal mindset. He said that his government has been working from the very beginning to combat such harmful mindsets and cultivate a positive attitude among students.
He further stated that students with a positive outlook exhibit strong self-confidence. Even if they don’t achieve encouraging results, they don’t give up hope. Conversely, those with a negative mindset find fault in everything. He said that the human brain and artificial intelligence maintain a balance in the formation of thoughts. The Chief Minister further added that the habits and mindsets people adopt shape their personalities. Referring to the rapid pace of development in Assam, the Chief Minister said that the state now has more than 25 medical colleges. Fifteen colleges are already operational, and 10 more are under construction. He said that there was a time when medical education was not easily accessible in the state. Only exceptionally bright students or those from very wealthy families could access it because there were only three medical colleges in the state with 250 seats.
He said that the number of medical seats is currently 2000, and this number will increase to 5000 by 2030.
The Chief Minister said that the days are gone when students from Assam had to go to cities like Pune for higher education due to a lack of universities in the state. Assam now has two central universities and twenty-five to twenty-six state universities that are either already functioning or under construction.
He said that the state now has approximately 30 engineering colleges, including IIT Guwahati and NIT Silchar, which was something people could never have imagined before.
Sarma said that Dassault Systèmes has taken steps to establish a facility at Assam Engineering College at a cost of approximately Rs. 200 crore to create a platform for students to develop digital tools. Once this project materializes, students from Assam will receive training in areas related to the design of complex aerospace products.
He said that his government has also started an institute for marine engineering in Dibrugarh, which provides training in ship repair. He added that plans are underway to establish a Google data center in Assam. He also stated that the state government is working to establish a mobile manufacturing unit in the state. He said that work on the first green hydrogen plant in Numaligarh will begin next year, and the government has already allocated land for it.
Sarma also said that the state aims to set up a bio-aviation fuel production unit. He also elaborated on the plan to construct a 3,200 MW thermal power plant. The Chief Minister said that the state, which once faced a severe power shortage, will be supplying electricity to neighboring states like Nagaland, Meghalaya, and Tripura by 2031. Education Secretary Narayan Konwar delivered the welcome address at the event, which was also addressed by Education Minister Ranoj Pegu. Other dignitaries and students, including Higher Education Advisor Professor Debabrata Das, were present on the occasion.
