Guwahati

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said an interim relief of Rs 25.12 crore was transferred to 16,746 families affected by this year's devastating floods.

He said each flood-hit family in Sivasagar, Charaideo and Jorhat districts received Rs 15,000.

Speaking on the occasion, Sarma said that Assam faces floods every year, but this time the state government has set a new benchmark for helping the affected people, and asserted that such an initiative was never seen before.

''The state's revenue department has created a new benchmark for relief and rehabilitation of the affected people. Its effort has not only helped them but also ensured they return to their normal lives at the earliest," he said.

The state government is providing one-time interim assistance to 1,17,095 households, disbursing a total of Rs 175 crore for this purpose, the CM said.

Sarma said women beneficiaries under the 'Orundoi' scheme in Sivasagar and Charaideo districts will receive Rs 2,000 this month.

"Each beneficiary (under the 'Orundoi' scheme) usually gets Rs 1,250 per month, but last month they received Rs 2,500 each in the flood-affected districts of Sivasagar, Charaideo, Jorhat and Golaghat," the chief minister said.

The government has so far released Rs 15 crore for repair of schools, Rs 11 crore for anganwadis and Rs 16 crore for 'namghars' (Vaishnav monasteries), Sarma said.

The repair of 405 roads and 244 water supply projects have also been taken up in the four flood-affected districts, he said.

Altogether, Rs 300 crore has been released so far for repair and restoration work, the CM said, adding that after the damage assessment is completed, the government expects to spend more than Rs 1,000 crore for relief and restoration work.

''Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured us that there will be no problem of funds for the benefit of the affected people," he said.

On damage assessment, Sarma said that 1,182 teachers had conducted a digital survey and identified 95,545 families affected by the floods.

The second phase of the flood damage assessment will be conducted this month, he added.

The chief minister said that due to the floods, banks were asked to extend a moratorium to those who had taken loans.

''A total of 14,227 flood-affected people had applied for a moratorium, and banks have extended the facility to 13,943 of them so far,'' Sarma said.

On insurance claims, Sarma said a total of 2,728 families have received the benefit so far in the four severely affected districts.

The CM also released funds under the Chief Minister's Foreign Language Initiative for Global Hunt (CM-FLIGHT) for the Japanese language training programme.

Each selected candidate will receive Rs 1 lakh as training support in three instalments, along with Rs 50,000 per candidate as post-placement assistance.

Sarma said the state government is committed to creating a skilled, globally competitive and employment-ready workforce by opening up new avenues of opportunity for the youth.

He said the world is increasingly becoming a common workplace, with several countries facing demographic and workforce challenges, which has created significant opportunities for skilled young people from Assam.

He urged the youth to make the best use of these emerging opportunities by acquiring skills that would enhance employability and enable them to work in countries such as Japan, Singapore and elsewhere.

He also disbursed financial assistance and support to fresh graduates from government and public institutions under the Chief Minister's Jibon Prerna Scheme to help them transition from education to employment.

A total of Rs 118.6 crore would be disbursed to 48,188 candidates, with each receiving Rs 2,500 per month for a year, Sarma added.

The release of assistance for the current financial year was delayed due to the Model Code of Conduct during the assembly elections, he said.

Around 1,000 additional beneficiaries whose Aadhaar-related issues are currently being resolved will also receive assistance under the scheme upon completing the necessary formalities, Sarma said.

The scheme provided financial assistance to 48,366 fresh graduates in 2025, helping them prepare for competitive examinations, pursue entrepreneurial ventures and move towards self-reliance.

He said initiatives such as CM-FLIGHT and Chief Minister's Jibon Prerana Scheme have been designed to create world-class human resources and provide Assam's youth with greater access to opportunities both within India and abroad.

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The state government has several other initiatives in the pipeline for the development, skilling and empowerment of Assam's youth, which will be implemented subsequently, Sarma added.