Post matric scholarship for ST students in Nagaland to be disbursed in phases with full payment

KOHIMA — The department of Higher Education has announced a shift in the disbursement method for Post Matric Scholarships to Scheduled Tribe  students in Nagaland. Instead of the previous installment-based approach, the state will now adopt a phased release of one-time full scholarship payments through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP).

In a press conference on Tuesday, Keduoseilie Keyho, Officer on Special Duty (Scholarship) and Tol Pucho, OSD from the department of Higher Education, stated that the scholarship is a centrally sponsored scheme with a 90:10 funding ratio between the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs and the government of Nagaland.

For the current academic session, a total of 41,793 students have been identified as eligible beneficiaries, requiring approximately INR 56.38 crore in total. However, the department currently has INR 30.70 crore available — INR 27.28 crore from the central share and INR 3.41 crore from the state.

Due to the shortfall, the department will implement a phase-wise disbursement plan. In the first phase, INR 30.70 crore will be used to disburse one-time full scholarships to 22,000 students—approximately 52.64% of the total beneficiaries. The remaining beneficiaries will be covered in subsequent phases once additional funds are released.

Keyho further informed that out of the 41,793 applicants, 30,451 have been authenticated by the NSP system. The remaining 11,342 could not be verified due to issues such as the absence of Aadhaar linkage. Auto-generated SMS alerts have been sent to these students with instructions to complete the required Aadhaar seeding.

The disbursement of scholarships for the first phase are anticipated to be done in the next few days, Keyho said, adding that the department would have to mandatorily submit a utilisation certificate to receive the second phase of funds.

Efforts are underway to expedite this process, he added.

The OSD said that change in payment system was made in accordance with the central government’s mandate for Aadhaar-based payments and complete digitisation of welfare schemes.

All beneficiaries must ensure their bank accounts are Aadhaar-seeded and DBT-enabled to receive the scholarship directly, he said, adding that a notification was already served to the students to do their e-KYC.

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Responding to queries Keyho said that the merit-based scholarship, which is fully state-funded, will continue without change.

Furthermore, the scholarship scheme is now categorised into four groups: professional and PhD courses, bachelor’s and master’s degrees, diploma courses, and Classes 11 and 12. Speaking on the payment model, he noted that the switch to the phased full-payment method reflects the central ministry’s direction, as the NSP does not support installment payments.

He also informed that the income certificate verification is moving to an online system, which will automatically alert students of any discrepancies and allow for prompt updating.

Highlighting the importance of these measures, Keyho cited concern for students’ welfare as the driving force behind the programme changes. He reassured that the department would maintain open communication channels with students and stakeholders throughout the process.