"As far as my knowledge goes, Assam is the first state in India to make higher education free for poor students. There will be absolutely no fee for those students whose parents' income is less than Rs 1 lakh a year," Assam Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in a press conference here.
He said this will cover 310 government and provincialised colleges across the state benefitting 50,000-60,000 students. Private institutions are outside the purview of this decision.
"For other disciplines, we are talking to universities, medical colleges and engineering institutes in the same line. As these are autonomous institutions we will need their consent," Sarma said.
Giving details, he said a student would have to furnish documentary evidence of parents' income at the time of admission in the form of salary slips for state and central government staff or employer's certificate for private sector worker or proof of income by circle officer or 'mauzadar'.
Asked if any measure would be considered by the government to control the exorbitant fees of private educational institutes, he said, "This government will act soberly. We will not act with regulation or threat against the private sector. We will discuss and act.
"Private institutes are giving employment too. If I bring in any regulation, many institutes may close down and people will be unemployed then. Our motto is to take everyone along with us -- Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas," he said.