Assam CM attends distribution ceremony of Anundoram Borooah Award to 27,183 meritorious students

Guwahati (Assam) [India], November 29 : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday attended as Chief Guest the centrally held ceremonial distribution of the Anundoram Borooah Award for 2023 organised at Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra in Guwahati by the School Education Department of the Government of Assam.
A total of 27,183 students across the state who had secured a minimum of 75% or above in the High School Leaving Certificate Examination 2023 have been awarded a cash amount of Rs 15,000 each by the Government of Assam through the Anundoram Borooah Award, costing a total of approximately Rs 40.77 crore.
The Chief Minister also launched PM SHRI, a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, for the state. Under the PM SHRI scheme for Assam, a total of Rs. 127.46 crore have been approved for the year 2023-24 that would be utilised for academic and infrastructure strengthening of 264 schools across the state.
Speaking at the occasion, Chief Minister Sarma said the Anundoram Borooah Award was launched in 2005 with the aim of inculcating a spirit of competitiveness among the students of the state and familiarising them with the skills needed for acquiring knowledge through the medium of modern technologies.
"Since its launch, a total of 4,13,400 students have been managed to secure this award, Sarma added. The government had named the award after Anundoram Borooah so that the school-going youths of the state could become familiar with the achievements of this great son of mother Assam and draw inspiration from them," the Assam Chief Minister said.
Chief Minister Sarma spoke at length about the inspiring life of Anundoram Borooah and appealed to the students to work tirelessly towards fulfilling their dreams through determination and hard work, as was displayed by the first Assamese Indian Civil Service (ICS) officer after whom the award is named.
Speaking about PM SHRI, which was ceremonially launched today for the state, Chief Minister Sarma said the Central government had launched the Centrally Sponsored Scheme with the aim of providing students with an environment where they feel cared for and one that provides them ample avenues for academic and all-round growth complemented by good physical school infrastructure.
The schools selected under PM SHRI, apart for incorporating the elements of the National Education Policy 2020 and transforming themselves into model schools, shall provide mentorships to schools located in nearby locations, the CM added.
The Chief Minister added that PM SHRI shall focus on promoting conceptual understanding among the students and the use of knowledge and acquired skills in everyday life.
Referring to the students of the current era as "Amrit Santan of Amrit Kaal," the Chief Minister appealed to them to focus on acquiring multifaceted knowledge to stay relevant in the highly competitive world of today.
Chief Minister Sarma stated that from next year onwards, the Anundoram Borooah Award shall cease to exist and shall be replaced by the Anundoram Borooah "Scholarship," which would be provided to 30,000 students annually.
Of the 30,000 students, 10,000 shall be from the fifth standard, while another 10,000 shall belong to the eighth standard. Each of them shall be awarded a fixed deposit of Rs 15,000 each. The remaining 10,000 shall be from the 10th standard and shall be paid a cash amount of Rs 15,000 each, the Chief Minister added.
Today's event was also attended by Education Minister Ranoj Pegu, Forest Minister Chandramohan Patowary, and a host of other dignitaries.