In a notable development, students in Sivasagar organized protests following Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s announcement regarding a revision in the eligibility criteria for the Pragyan Bharati scooter scheme. Under the revised guidelines, only students achieving over 80% in the Higher Secondary Examination will qualify for scooters. Previously, the scheme was accessible to girls with scores of 60% and above, and boys with scores of 75% and above. In 2023, more than 35,000 students throughout Assam benefited from this initiative.
The protesting students are calling on the government to revert to the former criteria, contending that the new stipulation is unjust to many qualified candidates. Similar demonstrations have been reported in other regions of the state. The government has yet to release an official statement regarding this issue. According to the new guidelines, students who participated in the betterment examination will not be eligible for the scheme this year.
Additionally, while students must be residents of Assam, those enrolled in institutions outside the state may also qualify, provided they possess a valid Permanent Resident Certificate (PRC) for Assam. This initiative operates on an application-based system, and no offline applications will be accepted. The Directorate of Higher Education (DHE) will compile a list of students with scores of 80% and above from the Assam Secondary Education Board (ASSEB), and the list of beneficiaries will be published.
