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Tura, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Friday released the second and final installment of the Umbrella Post Matric Scholarship. ₹130 crore for about 70,000 students for the 2024-25 academic year.
The program was held at the district auditorium here, which was attended by Education Minister Lakhmen Rymbui, Commissioner and Secretary Vijay Kumar Mantri, West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner Vibhor Agarwal and Director of Higher and Technical Education Hazel DB Sangma.
Addressing the gathering, Sangma said the state government was releasing the entire scholarship amount from its own resources as the funds were not yet received from the Centre.
He said the decision to release the advance amount was taken to mitigate the difficulties faced by the students.
Sangma said earlier rules did not allow advance transfer of scholarships, but the state has now worked out a mechanism with the Center for early release of scholarships.
Once Rs 130 crore has been transferred to Meghalaya Gramin Bank, it will require a few days for processing and account verification before students receive the money, he said, urging students to ensure that their bank accounts are linked to Aadhaar.
Sangma said education remains the top priority for the government, and announced that reforms to resolve long-pending issues faced by ad-hoc and SSA teachers are being finalized and can be implemented from the next financial year.
With thousands of students attending the program from 200 locations across the state, Sangma also underlined the long-term vision of the government, which includes youth-centric programs like CM Elevate, Yes Meghalaya, Prime, MGMP, STAR and Hello Meghalaya.
“Entrepreneurship and skills of the youth are important for the development story of the state,” he said.
He said the government has planned economic growth not only for the coming years but till 2047, with policies and programs designed to position the youth as key drivers.
“You will be in the driver’s seat to take us to the stage of 2047 where Meghalaya should become one of the best states in the country,” Sangma said.
In his remarks, Education Minister Lakhmen Rymbui described the day as a “red letter day” for the student community, marking the fulfillment of commitments made by the government to strengthen and expand access to education.
Heads of institutions, teachers, students and education department officials participated in the event, which was attended by around 7,000 students online.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without any modifications to the text.
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