Assam Cabinet passes bill to ban polygamy, except in Sixth Schedule areas

The Assam government approved two landmark decisions during a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma at Lok Sewa Bhawan, Guwahati, on Sunday, November 9.

The cabinet gave its nod to the Assam Prohibition of Polygamy Bill, 2025, which seeks to outlaw polygamous marriages across the state, with the exception of areas governed under the Sixth Schedule. The bill aims to safeguard women from emotional, social, and financial harm resulting from polygamous relationships. It also proposes compensation and legal protection for victims to ensure justice and empowerment.

Speaking to the media, CM Sarma said, "The Assam Prohibition of Polygamy Bill, 2025, has been approved by the Assam cabinet today. Under these 7 years of rigorous imprisonment for those people who engage in marriage for the second time or more. We will bring this bill in the Assam assembly session on November 25. The tribal people will be out from this bill. This bill is not applicable in the Sixth Schedule areas of the state at present."

Additionally, the cabinet also approved the “Assam Startup and Innovation Policy 2025–30”, a five-year strategic plan to make Assam a leading hub for startups and innovation in India. The policy, with a financial outlay of Rs 397 crore, introduces multiple funding mechanisms to support early-stage and high-growth startups, including:

Ideation Grant: Up to Rs 10 lakh for validating business ideas or developing prototypes.

Prototype Development Grant: Up to Rs 20 lakh for general and tech startups, and up to Rs 40 lakh for deep-tech ventures.

Seed Fund: Equity-based support of up to Rs 50 lakh per startup through the Assam Startup Seed Fund, with a government equity cap of 4%.

Venture Capital Fund: Growth capital assistance of up to Rs 10 crore per startup to encourage scalability and job creation.