Nagaland rolls out one-time full payment for Post-Matric Scholarship

41,793 student beneficiaries  in State

Our Correspondent
Kohima | June 17

The Directorate of Higher Education (DHE), Nagaland, has announced that Post-Matric (PM) Scholarships for Scheduled Tribe (ST) students in the state will now be disbursed as a one-time full payment from the academic year 2024–2025.

However, this will be done in a phased manner, informed officials from the State’s Higher Education (HE) Department while addressing a press conference here today.

In a first, payments will now be made through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP) using Aadhaar-based direct transfer, in line with the directives of the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs, informed Keduosielie Keyho, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in charge of Scholarships, HE.

Keyho was joined by Tol Pucho, also an OSD overseeing scholarship implementation.

The duo further highlighted that for the academic year 2024–2025, a total of 41,793 students have been identified as eligible beneficiaries, requiring a total amount of Rs 5,638.06 lakh.

However, the currently available amount stands at Rs 3,070 lakh (comprising Rs 2,728.89 lakh as Central Share and Rs 341.11 lakh as State Share).

Accordingly, the department said that in the first phase, Rs 3,070 lakh will be disbursed to 22,000 beneficiaries, covering 52.64% of the total eligible students.

The disbursal is expected to be completed within the next couple of days, the officials said.

They also stressed that the funding pattern for the PM Scholarship follows the Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) format with a 90:10 ratio, respectively divided between the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs and the Government of Nagaland.

Of the 41,793 applicants, the system has successfully authenticated 30,451, while the remaining 11,342 beneficiaries could not be authenticated due to discrepancies, the officials noted, adding that automated SMS alerts have been sent to the concerned individuals with further instructions.

Clarifying the phased approach, Keyho said that the remaining beneficiaries will be covered in the next round, subject to the release of additional funds from the funding agencies.

“As the amount available is not enough to cover all the beneficiaries, payments have to be made in a phased manner,” he stated.
Responding to queries regarding the timeline for the second phase, Keyho explained that it would depend on the timely release of funds by the Ministry.

However, he assured that the department will actively follow up on the matter, noting that Nagaland’s Minister for Tourism and Higher Education, Temjen Imna Along, is “very much concerned” about the welfare of students under the scheme.

Aadhaar-based payment through NSP
Meanwhile, further elaborating on the payment system, Keyho said that disbursement of scholarships will now be done through the NSP for the first time since it was onboarded with the portal in 2024.

In previous years, payments were made through the Public Financial Management System (PFMS), but there is no provision for instalment-wise partial payments to all beneficiaries under NSP, he said.

Thus, from the year 2024–2025, a one-time full scholarship amount will be disbursed, but in a phased manner.

Further, payments through the NSP will be Aadhaar-based, with beneficiaries receiving their scholarships in their bank accounts linked with the card.

Accordingly, all beneficiaries are required to seed their bank accounts with Aadhaar and enable their bank accounts for DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) payments.

Payment through NSP will fulfil the objectives of Aadhaar-based payment and end-to-end digitisation as mandated by the Government of India, Keyho added.