Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday launched a new financial assistance scheme for Udasin Bhakats, providing monthly support of ₹1,500 to celibate Vaishnavite monks associated with Satras across the state.
The scheme, announced in the state budget 2025, will benefit 620 Udasin Bhakats. Of these, the largest number -- 474 are from Majuli, widely regarded as the seat of Vaishnavite culture in Assam.
The remaining beneficiaries include 54 from Jorhat, 22 from Lakhimpur, 14 from Kamrup, 10 from Barpeta, eight each from Dhubri and Goalpara, seven from Nagaon, six each from Golaghat and Nalbari, five from Sivasagar, and three each from Sonitpur and Udalguri.
Addressing the launch event, Sarma said the assistance would be directly credited to the beneficiaries' bank accounts every month.
"We had proposed the scheme of financial assistance to Udasin Bhakats in last year's budget, and today we have launched it. If any eligible Udasin Bhakats are left out, we will try to include them," Sarma said.
Udasin Bhakats are celibate devotees who live and serve in Assam's Vaishnavite monastic institutions, known as Satras. Often recruited at a young age, they follow a disciplined, ascetic life devoted to spiritual practice, worship and service.
The term 'Udasin' signifies detachment or renunciation.
Highlighting the cultural importance of the Satras, the chief minister said they have played a vital role in preserving Assam's ethos and values for centuries.
"It is only befitting that we protect and upgrade the Satras and look after the Udasin Bhakats who dedicate their lives to them," he said.
Sarma on Thursday also announced another welfare initiative -- Babu Asoni -- aimed at providing monthly financial assistance to male students pursuing higher education in Assam.
Scheduled to roll out from February 1, 2026, the scheme will offer Rs 1,000 per month to undergraduate students and Rs 2,000 to postgraduate students through Direct Benefit Transfer, mirroring the existing Nijut Moina scheme for female students and promoting gender parity in educational support.