Scholarships paid from state funds, says Conrad
From Our Correspondent
TURA, Nov 29: Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Saturday released the second and the final instalments of Umbrella Post-Matric Scholarship for the academic year 2024-2025 at a function held at the District Auditorium in Tura.
“The government today is releasing the second and the final instalments of the Umbrella Post Matric Scholarship, amounting to Rs 130 crore, to about 70,000 students,” the Chief Minister said in his address.
He had made a commitment about a month ago to release the scholarship without waiting to receive the funds from the central government.
“We are releasing the scholarship to you from our own resources as we have not yet received it from the central government,” Sangma said. He further stated that the state government took this decision keeping in mind the issues faced by students.
The Chief Minister explained that the scholarship could not be released earlier because the existing system did not allow advance payments.
“We spoke to the Government of India regarding the challenge and worked out a system where we can now release the scholarship in advance,” he said.
He also stated that once the Rs 130 crore is released to Meghalaya Rural Bank, it will take a few days for processing and verification before the students finally receive the scholarship in their accounts.
“Therefore, verification is your responsibility as you have to ensure that your bank account is linked to your Aadhaar,” he said to the students.
Stating that education has been a top priority sector for the government, the Chief Minister said the reformative measures taken by the government to streamline the system are not only meant for the benefit of the students but also for the teachers.
“I am happy to announce today through this platform that a major reform is underway where we will be resolving the long-pending issue faced by our ad hoc and SSA teachers. We are very close to finalising things for a solution that can be implemented from the next financial year,” he said.
The Chief Minister took the opportunity to share with the gathering the government’s vision for the state, giving a detailed presentation on some of the flagship programmes for the youth like CM Elevate, YESS Meghalaya, Prime, MGMP, STAR program, Hello Meghalaya besides programmes in sports, music and research. He said entrepreneurship and youth skilling are critical to the state’s growth story.
He said the government has planned the economic growth not only for the next two or three years but till 2047 and as such, it has created a lot of reforms, policies, programmes.
“You, the youth, will be in the driver’s seat to take us into that phase of 2047 where Meghalaya should become one of the best states in the country,” Sangma said.
He further underscored the role of the youth in the vision of $10 billion economy for the state.
Concluding his address, he said youth are one of the most important stakeholders for the government. “You are a very important asset and integral part in the growth story of our state. While education is important, opportunities for you are equally important. We believe in you and I believe that Meghalaya will be in the safe hands of our youth.”
Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui called it a red-letter day that marked the fulfilment of the commitments made to the student community. “We will continue to live up to the commitments made to our people to transform education and make it accessible for everybody,” he said.
Commissioner & Secretary of Education Vijay Kumar Mantri, Director of Higher & Technical Education Hazel DB Sangma, other officials from the Education Department, heads of institutions, teachers and students were present at the programme. About 7,000 students participated online from 200 locations across the state.
