With an aim to prevent child marriages in the state, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday announced that his government would provide a monthly stipend to all girl students from Class 11 to post-graduation over the next five years.

"Under this scheme, all girls studying in classes 11 and 12 will get Rs 1,000 every month, it will be Rs 1,250 per month for degree students and Rs 2,500 for girls doing post-graduation. Through this scheme, we want to prevent child marriages in Assam and take responsibility of girl education... This amount will be transferred to the girls' accounts on the 11th of every month, Sarma said.

"A married girl will not get the benefit. The only exception will be those married girls who are enrolled in PG courses. They will also benefit," he added.

The sole aim of this scheme is to delay the marriage of a girl so that she can be financially independent and start earning for herself and her family, Sarma said.