The Assam Cabinet has approved Rs 108.81 crore to reimburse colleges for providing free admission to eligible undergraduate students during the 2026–27 academic year. It has also increased the one-time ex-gratia assistance for families of Samagra Shiksha employees who die in service from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 7.5 lakh.
The decisions were announced by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma after the Cabinet meeting. The allocation under the Pragyan Bharati Scheme is expected to cover more than 1.5 lakh first-year undergraduate students from eligible families.
Under the fee-waiver scheme, students meeting the prescribed financial eligibility conditions are exempted from paying admission fees, with the state government reimbursing the institutions concerned. The scheme covers eligible students in government and provincialised higher educational institutions. For the 2026–27 academic year, the parental annual income ceiling is Rs 4 lakh, according to the Higher Education Department's guidelines.
"The Cabinet approved Rs 108.81 crore as compensation to colleges for extending free admission benefits to more than 1.5 lakh first-year undergraduate students," CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said while announcing the decision.
The Cabinet also approved an increase in the death-related financial assistance for officials, employees and teachers associated with Samagra Shiksha. The one-time payment to their families has been raised to Rs 7.5 lakh from the existing Rs 5 lakh. The enhancement had been proposed in the state Budget and received formal Cabinet approval on Tuesday.
CM Sarma said the assistance would apply when Samagra Shiksha employees die in service, including deaths caused by illness. He said the revised amount would provide additional financial support to their families.
In another education-related decision, the Cabinet approved a collaboration with the Research Park at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati to develop Teaching-Learning Materials (TLM) for students in Classes 1 and 2.
The state currently procures these materials from private vendors through tenders before distributing them to schools. Under the new arrangement, the government and IIT Guwahati's Research Park will jointly develop learning resources focused on foundational literacy and numeracy. The materials will include resources to teach basic mathematics, geometry and English.
CM Sarma said the collaboration would allow the state to develop materials according to children's learning needs rather than relying entirely on commercially procured products. The government has not announced a rollout schedule or the cost of the initiative.
The Cabinet also approved the merger of Krishna Kanta Handiqui Government Sanskrit College in Guwahati with Kumar Bhaskar Varma Sanskrit and Ancient Studies University in Nalbari. The college will be shifted to the university campus, with its existing students accommodated and teaching staff absorbed into the university.
CM Sarma cited the college's low enrolment as the reason for the decision. The government also plans to retain the name of noted Assamese scholar Krishna Kanta Handique by naming another educational institution after him.
The decisions form part of a series of measures approved at Tuesday's Cabinet meeting covering higher education, school learning resources and financial assistance for education-sector employees.