Assam's Women's Workforce Exceeds National Average: CM Sarma

Guwahati, March 26 (NationPress) The Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, announced on Wednesday that the state government has been actively working to ensure equal opportunities for women. As a result, the participation of women in the labour market in Assam now exceeds the national average.

According to Sarma, the proportion of women in the total workforce stands at 52.8 percent in rural areas and 31.5 percent in urban areas of Assam. He presented data showing that the national average for women's labour participation is 47.6 percent in urban settings, while the rural workforce comprises only 28 percent women—both lower than Assam's figures.

In a post on X, CM Sarma emphasized, “Equal Partners in growth. Thanks to our secure environment, empowering policies, and focus on skill development for women, their involvement in the workforce has consistently risen over the years, surpassing the national average at 52.8 percent in rural and 31.5 percent in urban regions.”

The government of Assam has initiated several programs aimed at improving the status of women in the state. A recent launch was the Nijut Moina scheme, designed to support the education of girl students. This initiative aims to assist 10 lakh girl students with a budget of Rs 1,500 crore, with over 1.6 lakh girls set to receive Rs 240 crore in the first year.

Regarding the scheme, Sarma stated, “Assam has embarked on a significant venture with the launch of Nijut Moina. Under this program, girl students pursuing graduation will receive a monthly scholarship exceeding Rs 1000, while those in post-graduation will benefit from Rs 2500 per month to help with educational costs. Our aim is for girls to be self-reliant and not depend on their families for higher education.”

The Chief Minister expressed hope that this scheme would contribute to a decline in child marriage cases in Assam. “We expect that Nijut Moina will help eliminate the issue of child marriage in the state,” he remarked. He also mentioned that one of the key conditions to qualify for this scheme is that the girl students must remain unmarried until they complete their postgraduate studies.

“The goal of this initiative is to combat child marriage, so girl students enrolled in graduation programs must stay unmarried until they finish their undergraduate studies. After reaching the postgraduate level, there are no restrictions on remaining unmarried to benefit from the Nijut Moina scheme. At that point, they would be of legal marriage age, and we hope they marry at an appropriate time to lead fulfilling lives,” he elaborated. Additionally, the Chief Minister specified that no daughters of MPs, MLAs, or ministers will be eligible for this financial support initiative.