TURA/SHILLONG, June 22: Tura MDC Bernard N Marak has complained that student beneficiaries of CM’s Scholarship Scheme were being paid less than the amount assured by the Chief Minister during the Budget Session and questioned where the rest of the amount had gone.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Marak referred to the announcement by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on March 5, 2025, that post-matric students would be given CM’s Scholarship Scheme of Rs 6,000 each in addition to the central scholarship, which he said was highly anticipated by the students.
However, to their utter dismay, most of the students received less than the declared amount of Rs 6,000 from the scheme, Marak said.
He claimed to have received multiple complaints from students of different colleges who had received varying amounts — but less than Rs 6000. “While some students received only Rs 1,500, others got Rs 2,000 or 3,000 and some even complained that the amount credited did not reflect in their bank accounts”, he said.
Such lack of uniformity in payment of scholarship, and less than expected amount, has given rise to confusion and doubts among the students, he said, while urging the Chief Minister’s Office to take note of the alleged anomalies in disbursement of CM’s Scholarship Scheme.
20% of post-matric scholarships disbursed
The Education department, on the other hand, announced the release of the first instalment — amounting to 20% of the total sum — under the Post-Matric Umbrella Scholarship for Scheduled Tribe (ST) students. The payment, initiated on June 20, 2025, has so far benefited 66,000 students whose bank accounts are actively linked with Aadhaar.
The scholarship, funded by the Government of India through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP), is being disbursed for the academic year 2024–25.
According to the department, the remaining 80% will be released in two to three instalments, depending on the fund release schedule from the Centre.
This marks a shift from the earlier disbursal process, where instalments were staggered and reached only a fraction of eligible students at a time—often resulting in delays and uncertainty. The revised approach aims to ensure equitable and simultaneous payments to all eligible beneficiaries in each phase.
However, 7,902 students have not received the first instalment due to incomplete Aadhaar linkage. These students were notified via SMS from the NSP on June 20, advising them to verify and update their Aadhaar-seeding status with their respective banks.
A 15-day window has been provided for compliance.
Payments will be processed only after this period, as the NSP system does not permit fund transfers before the notification deadline expires.
The department has also clarified that this scholarship should not be confused with the Chief Minister’s Scholarship Scheme, announced during the last Budget Session. Registrations for the CM’s scheme will begin only after a formal notification and the publication of detailed guidelines.
Students facing issues or needing assistance have been advised to contact the department via email at [email protected] or call 7005037347 / 9077574956.
