Assam Cabinet: Rs 108.81 crore for free college admission, Rs 200 crore Ayushman Asom

The Assam Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma at Lok Sewa Bhawan in Dispur on Tuesday, 10 November 2026, approved Rs 108.81 crore to compensate colleges that give free admission to first-year undergraduate students under the Pragyan Bharati Scheme for the 2026-27 academic year. More than 1.5 lakh students benefit. The Cabinet also approved Rs 200 crore to keep the state's Ayushman Asom health scheme running, which covers more than 40 lakh families. Other decisions included higher ex-gratia for Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) employees, a better system for buying teaching-learning material for schools, and merging a Guwahati Sanskrit college into the state's Sanskrit university.

For families in Assam, the biggest effect is on the cost of going to college. Under the Pragyan Bharati Scheme, students joining the first year of an undergraduate course do not pay admission fees, and the government compensates the colleges. The Rs 108.81 crore approved now is that compensation for the 2026-27 year. The state says the aim is that money should not stop a student from entering higher education. For students from poorer families, an admission fee waiver can make the difference in whether they enrol.

The Ayushman Asom allocation matters for health. With more than 40 lakh families covered, the scheme is one of the state's largest welfare programmes by reach. Keeping it funded means hospital treatment under the scheme can continue without a break.

The Sanskrit decision brings a Guwahati college under a specialised university, which can mean a common syllabus, degrees awarded by the university, and access to its research programmes for the college's students. The decisions on SSA staff and school teaching material concern the people and supplies that run the state's schools.

Taken together, the meeting put money into three areas that touch most Assamese families: college admission, health cover and schools.

Peepals calculation: Rs 108.81 crore spread over more than 1.5 lakh students works out to at most about Rs 7,250 per student (108.81 crore ÷ 1.5 lakh ≈ Rs 7,254); since more than 1.5 lakh students benefit, the actual average is somewhat lower. The Ayushman Asom allocation of Rs 200 crore across more than 40 lakh families is at most about Rs 500 per family (200 crore ÷ 40 lakh = Rs 500). Our calculation from the reported figures.

Short-term: Colleges will be compensated for the free first-year admissions already given in 2026-27, and Ayushman Asom continues without interruption.

Long-term: Steady funding for fee-free admission can help raise college enrolment in Assam, while the Sanskrit merger may strengthen study of Sanskrit and ancient studies in the state.

Who is affected: First-year undergraduates and their families, Assam's colleges, families covered by Ayushman Asom, SSA employees, and students of the Guwahati Sanskrit college.

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