Himanta Biswa Sarma, the chief minister of Assam, introduced a financial aid program for Udasin Bhakats, giving celibate Vaishnavite monks affiliated with Satras around the state Rs 1,500 each month. The plan has now been formally put into action after being included in the state budget last year. Speaking about the launch program here, Sarma promised that any beneficiaries who could have been overlooked will be included and that the help would be directly credited to the bank accounts of qualified Udasin Bhakats. A total of 620 Udasin Bhakats will gain from the program.
With 474 monks, Majuli has the most beneficiaries, followed by Jorhat with 54 and Lakhimpur with 22. Fourteen from Kamrup, ten from Barpeta, eight from Dhubri and Goalpara, seven from Nagaon, six from Golaghat and Nalbari, five from Sivasagar, three from Sonitpur and Udalguri, and eight from Goalpara district are among the others. The Chief Minister further emphasized the significance of Satras as hubs of Assamese spirituality and culture, pointing out that Udasin Bhakats commit their lives to upholding the Vaishnavite heritage via service and celibacy.
He claimed that part of the government’s duty to protect the state’s legacy was to provide them with financial assistance. Sarma wrote on social media that the Satras are the guardians of Assamese culture and values and that the government has taken action to preserve and improve these establishments. “Supporting Udasin Bhakats through monthly assistance was a meaningful way to honour their lifelong commitment to the path of Bhakti,” he stated. Majuli, the largest river island in the world and the main hub of Assamese Neo-Vaishnavism, is still the center of the state’s Vaishnavite monastic heritage and is home to many Satras.