Meghalaya: Rakkam Sangma clears the air on scholarship disbursement

CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG: Amid swirling confusion and concern among students over unexpectedly low scholarship credits, Meghalaya Education Minister Rakkam A Sangma on Monday assured that no beneficiary would be left behind, affirming the government’s commitment to full and fair disbursement of the Umbrella Post-Matric Scholarship.

“It’s just a misunderstanding. Whatever amount is released by the Ministry, we are crediting it directly into students’ accounts. Everyone will receive their due in a timely manner,” he said.

The Minister clarified that the credited sums, with some students receiving as little as Rs. 1,500, are part of the first phase—constituting 20% of the total scholarship amount—under a structured installment-based release strategy adopted by the state.

“Earlier, when the ministry released funds, we used to give the full amount to around 20,000 students and the rest had to wait. That caused delays. This time, we are ensuring every eligible student gets an equal share in every phase,” he informed.

This new approach covers all 66,000 Aadhaar-linked students, ensuring phased parity rather than partial fulfillment, which led to backlogs in earlier years.

He also acknowledged that 7,902 students have not received the first installment due to Aadhaar-bank account linkage issues and said that these students were notified via SMS by the National Scholarship Portal on June 20. “Students affected were informed through SMS by the National Scholarship Portal on June 20. They must update their Aadhaar linkage within 15 days,” he said, adding that payments would be released once the issues are resolved.

“We are working closely with banks and students to make sure all linking issues are resolved. Those who update their details within the deadline will be included in the next payout,” the Minister assured.

Addressing further confusion, Sangma also clarified that the Chief Minister’s Scholarship Scheme—which promises an additional Rs. 6,000 per post-matric student—is a separate initiative and has not yet been launched.

“Some people are confusing the CM Scholarship with the ongoing Umbrella Scholarship. The CM Scholarship is a separate initiative. We are preparing the groundwork and will notify students very soon,” he said.

“In addition to the central scholarship, students will receive Rs. 6,000 from the CM Scheme as promised by the state. This is part of our government’s continued effort to support and uplift our youth,” the Minister added.

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