More than 1.85 lakh undergraduate students in Assam have secured admission this year without paying any admission fees, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Thursday, highlighting the growing impact of the state government's education welfare initiatives.
Sharing the update on social media, the Chief Minister said the figure represents more than just a statistic and serves as a measure of how extensively the government's welfare schemes are reaching students across the state. He noted that the initiative is helping strengthen the foundations of society by ensuring continuity in education and reducing financial barriers for students pursuing higher studies.
The achievement is linked to the Pragyan Bharati Scheme, a flagship education support programme of the Assam government aimed at providing free admission and tuition fee benefits to students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The scheme was introduced to make higher education more accessible and to prevent students from discontinuing their studies due to financial constraints.
When the programme was expanded for the 2024-25 academic session, nearly 95,000 students from underprivileged sections benefited from free admissions across higher secondary, undergraduate and postgraduate courses in arts, science and commerce streams. At that time, the government had released ₹68.44 crore to 349 colleges and universities to facilitate the scheme's implementation.
The programme was subsequently continued for the 2025-26 academic session, with the state government reaffirming its commitment to supporting students pursuing higher education. The latest figures indicate a substantial increase in coverage, with more than 1.85 lakh undergraduate students benefiting from the initiative this year, nearly doubling the number of beneficiaries recorded during the earlier phase.
The Chief Minister had also reviewed the implementation of the scheme as part of the government's broader efforts to improve access to education and ensure that financial challenges do not hinder academic progress.
The rise in the number of beneficiaries is being viewed as a significant indicator of the scheme's growing reach and effectiveness. By removing admission fee burdens for a large section of students, the programme aims to promote higher enrolment rates and support educational aspirations across Assam.
