Guwahati: The Assam Cabinet has approved Rs 108.81 crore under the Pragyan Bharati Scheme to reimburse colleges for providing free admission to eligible first-year undergraduate students during the 2026–27 academic year. The allocation is expected to benefit more than 1.5 lakh students across the state.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced the decision following the Cabinet meeting held on Tuesday, November 10. Under the scheme, eligible students are exempted from paying admission fees, while the state government reimburses the participating institutions for the amount waived.
The initiative is part of the Assam government's efforts to support access to higher education among students from economically weaker families. According to the Higher Education Department's fee-waiver guidelines, the scheme covers eligible students whose parents' annual income is below Rs 4 lakh. It applies to students seeking admission to participating government and provincialised higher educational institutions, subject to the prescribed conditions.
The latest allocation will compensate colleges for extending the fee-waiver facility during the current academic year. The government has not announced a revised eligibility framework alongside the Cabinet decision.
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 for students in Classes 1 and 2. The proposed materials will focus on foundational literacy and numeracy, including basic mathematics, geometry and English.
At present, the state procures teaching-learning materials through tenders from private vendors. Under the proposed arrangement, the government and IIT Guwahati's Research Park will jointly develop the resources. The initiative is intended to align learning materials more closely with the requirements of young learners. However, the government has not yet announced a rollout schedule or the cost of the project.
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. Following the merger, the college will be shifted to the university campus. Existing students will be accommodated at the university, while the teaching staff will be absorbed into its faculty.
The decisions cover different levels of the state's education system, from financial support for undergraduate admissions to the development of foundational learning resources and the restructuring of a higher education institution.