Phase-wise disbursementof Post Matric Scholarship

Higher education department on Tuesday announced that over 22,000 Scheduled Tribe (ST) students in Nagaland would be the first to receive the Post Matric Scholarship (PMS) for the academic year 2024–25 under a phase-wise disbursement plan.
Briefing media persons in the conference hall of the Higher Education directorate in Kohima, officer on special duty (OSD) Keduosielie Keyho informed that disbursement would be carried out in phases due to the limited availability of funds. He said that the centrally sponsored scheme (CSS), which follows a 90:10 funding pattern between the ministry of tribal affairs and the government of Nagaland, was aimed at supporting ST students pursuing higher education.
Keyho informed that a total of 41,793 ST students had been identified as eligible beneficiaries for the current academic session. However, out the total required amount of Rs.5,680.6 lakh, only Rs.3,070 lakh—comprising both central and state shares—was currently available for disbursement.
Owing to this gap, he said the first phase would target over 22,000 students, representing more than half of the registered beneficiaries. Unlike in previous years, when scholarships were distributed in instalments, OSD said this year’s disbursement would be made as a one-time full payment to each beneficiary in the phase-wise rollout.
OSD also clarified that the shift was necessitated by a change in the payment mechanism, which now required disbursement through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP). The earlier system under the Public Financial Management System (PFMS) supported instalment payments, but the NSP only allows for full payments.
Further, Keyho stated that Aadhaar-based payment protocols would be followed for the disbursement. Students have been advised to ensure that their bank accounts were seeded with their Aadhaar numbers and were Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT)-enabled in order to receive the scholarship without delays.
OSD said that the first phase of scholarship disbursal was expected to begin within a day or two. He said subsequent phase would be initiated after the directorate submits the utilisation certificate for the first tranche of funds, which was anticipated to take around a month.
PMS covers four beneficiary categories: PhD scholars, postgraduate and undergraduate students, diploma students, and those studying in Class 11 and 12. Also, present at the press conference was OSD Tol Pucho.