Meghalaya CM announces final disbursement of Rs 85 crore scholarship fund for ST students

The central government has released the final installment of Rs 85.08 crore under the Post Matric Scholarship scheme for Scheduled Tribe students, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma announced Friday.

"The funds will reflect in students' accounts within the next 1-2 days," Sangma stated in a tweet posted March 21.

This third and final payment will benefit 27,327 students for the 2023-2024 academic session, completing the disbursement process that began last June.

According to the Chief Minister, the scholarship was distributed in three phases throughout the year. The first installment of Rs 42.32 crore was released on June 24, 2024, benefiting 17,364 students. This was followed by a second payment of Rs 66.67 crore on November 20, 2024, which reached 32,064 students. Today's final installment of Rs 85.08 crore will support over 27,000 students.

The total number of applicants for the scholarship program was 76,755, with payments distributed throughout the academic year under the "Umbrella Scheme of Post Matric Scholarship for ST Students."

Sangma emphasised the state government's commitment to "improving and accelerating the scholarship process each year" to provide faster support for students in the future.