Nagaland government sanctions over Rs 29 Crore for Post Matric Scholarship for ST Students

Mokokchung, 18 December (MTNews): The Government of Nagaland, on December 18, sanctioned more than Rs 29 crore for the Post Matric Scholarship for Scheduled Tribe (ST) students. The announcement was made public through snapshots of the ‘Drawal Authority’ and ‘Expenditure Sanction’ shared by Nagaland’s Minister for Higher Education and Tourism, Temjen Imna Along.

Minister Along used social media to disclose the release of pending scholarships for ST students in the state, with disbursement scheduled to commence on December 20.

The shared snapshots disclosed the sanction of a substantial amount totaling Rs 2916.67 lakhs (Rupees twenty-nine crore sixteen lakh sixty-seven thousand) earmarked specifically for the Post Matric Scholarship for ST Students. This funding covers both the 2nd installment of the financial year 2022-23 and the 1st installment of 2023-24, distributed between Central Share (90 percent) and State Share (10 percent).

According to the official document signed by Sentiyanger Pongen, Additional Secretary to the Government of Nagaland, the sanctioned expenditure falls under the Major Head 2225-Welfare of SC, ST, OBC, and Minorities, with a specific allocation to Education (277). This falls within the purview of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Post Matric Scholarship for ST students during the financial year 2023-24.

Minister Along, in his Instagram post, expressed gratitude to the students for their patience and provided assurance that the release of post-matric scholarships would commence from December 20. The post also included an apology for any inconvenience caused during the delay.

This announcement follows a press release issued on December 15 by the All Nagaland College Students’ Union, advocating for the immediate release of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) Post-Matric scholarship for ST students in Nagaland.