Guwahati: Himanta Biswa Sarma, the chief minister of Assam has examined the operation of Pragyan Bharti. It is a fee-waiver programme for free admission at academic institutions run by the state’s Higher Education Department. The plan provides free admission to any students pursuing higher education courses in the state whose parents earn less than Rs 2 lakh annually.
According to an official release, 57,469 applicants were determined to be eligible for fee waivers for the 2024–25 academic year. It stated that the number will increase when the second merit list for undergraduate course admissions is released in due course. In order to allow the greatest number of eligible students to apply for fee waivers under the Pragyan Bharti plan, Sarma instructed authorities in charge of the education department to start a broad awareness campaign about it. According to the announcement, the chief minister also noted that some applicants were having trouble enrolling themselves as plan beneficiaries because income certifications were not readily available.
Sarma issued directives stating that going forward, ration cards issued under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) should be used as supporting documentation for the Pragyan Bharti scheme instead of income certificates.
