Shillong, August 27: Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Thursday released the first instalment of the Umbrella Post-Matric Scholarship for Scheduled Tribe students for the 2025–26 academic year at a programme held at Shillong College in the presence of Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui.
For the current academic year, 96,812 applications from ST students across Meghalaya have been verified, involving an estimated expenditure of ₹198.42 crore. The Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs conveyed a Central share of ₹84.55 crore, while the state government sanctioned its 10 per cent share of ₹9.40 crore to prevent further delay.
A total of ₹93.698 crore was released as the first instalment to all 96,812 beneficiaries across the state’s districts through Direct Benefit Transfer into their bank accounts.
Addressing the gathering, Sangma said the scholarship represented far more than financial assistance.
“It is tuition fees that will now be paid on time, it is hostel dues that will no longer weigh on a struggling family, it is books and materials that a student will no longer have to do without, and it is the quiet dignity of young men and women who can finally focus on their studies,” he said.
Explaining the delay and the new financial system, the chief minister said releases from the Centre had arrived very late in previous years. Last year, the state government advanced the scholarship amount from its own exchequer before Christmas and later adjusted it against Central funds.
This year, however, the Union Finance Ministry introduced a new Single Nodal Agency mode for real-time transactions. Under the SNA system, funds no longer pass through the ministry or the state government. Once the state completes the required paperwork and verification, the Reserve Bank of India directly transfers the amount to each student’s account.
“Earlier, the Ministry would reimburse us. Now if I give advance to you, RBI will also transfer directly to you, you will get double. So my window to give advance closed, but a new window of direct funding opened,” Sangma said.
“We applied political pressure and ensured the first installment of 40% was released immediately. That is what we are releasing today.”
Unlike last year’s bulk transfer by the state government, the RBI will now process all 96,812 accounts individually under the SNA system, which also handles thousands of schemes across the country. The process could, therefore, take four to five working days.
The RBI has assured that the transfers will be completed within a maximum of five working days. Sangma urged students not to panic if they did not immediately receive an SMS, saying the process had begun with Thursday’s formal release despite the intervening holidays of Raksha Bandhan, Saturday and Sunday.
He said the Education Department had been directed to treat failed transactions caused by incorrect bank details, Aadhaar-seeding issues or data mismatches as a continuous responsibility. Officials would monitor and reprocess such transactions until every eligible student received the scholarship.
The chief minister said the initiative should be viewed as part of a broader foundational reform in education aimed at untangling long-standing problems.
Addressing the state’s 18 lakh young people below the age of 20, Sangma said that beyond qualifications and skills, the most important quality was the ability to accept responsibility and get things done.
“I am surrounded by very intelligent people who give me absolutely correct analysis. But I look for the person who says, ‘Don’t worry sir, I’ll take care of it. I’ll get it done.’ That is the person who matters,” he said.
Referring to technological change, Sangma said platforms such as YouTube had replaced the need to wait for a monthly magazine like Rock Street Journal to learn music. While many jobs and skills could become irrelevant, he said the ability to take responsibility would never lose its value.
“Let’s be positive. Let’s not be the problem, let’s be part of the solution, at home, in our community, college, state and country. This canvas is amazing. If you keep looking at black dots, you will miss the white and blue and beautiful parts,” he said.
Sangma also informed students that the National Scholarship Portal for the 2026–27 academic year opened on July 3, 2026, and would remain open until November 30, 2026, for Pre-Matric and Post-Matric Scholarships for ST students.
Officials have been instructed to begin verification and sanctioning applications early to avoid delays. The chief minister also assured students that the government would pursue the release of the remaining Central share and the separate Chief Minister’s Scholarship at the earliest.
