Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has proposed providing scholarships to 100 students of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati. Speaking at the institute’s 33rd foundation day programme on September 1, Sarma highlighted IIT Guwahati’s importance not only as an academic institution but also as a symbol of the aspirations of Assam and the wider Northeast.

Sarma announced that the Assam government would facilitate 100 scholarships for students of IIT Guwahati. He asked the concerned authorities and the institute’s Director to work out the framework for the proposed scholarship programme so that the initiative could be implemented. The announcement was made as part of his address at the foundation day event.

The chief minister also highlighted the role he expects IIT Guwahati to play in addressing challenges faced by the state. He expressed hope that whenever Assam encounters complex technological or developmental issues, the institute would be among the institutions at the forefront of developing solutions and contributing its technical expertise.

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Sarma also shared a message for IIT Guwahati students, encouraging them not to view life as a race. In a post on his official X account, he urged students to remain comfortable with their individual pace and not feel pressured by comparisons, reinforcing his broader message about perseverance and personal progress.

During his address, Sarma recalled that the demand for an IIT in Assam was linked to aspirations expressed during the Assam Accord. IIT Guwahati was eventually established in 1994, decades after IIT Kharagpur, the country’s first IIT, was founded in 1951.

The proposed scholarship programme is expected to provide financial support to 100 IIT Guwahati students, although the eligibility criteria, scholarship amount and implementation framework have yet to be finalised. The Assam government and IIT Guwahati authorities are expected to work together on these details before the initiative is formally implemented.

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