The Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education (DoSEL) organised a one-day workshop under the Chairmanship of Smt. A. Srija, Economic Advisor, DoSEL, on the National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme (NMMSS) at District Institute of Education and Training (DIET) Leh on 28 June 2025. The event aimed to streamline scholarship-related processes and equip District and Institute Nodal Officers (DNOs/INOs) with updated knowledge and practical skills for effective implementation.

The workshop focused on simplifying application and verification procedures, addressing operational bottlenecks, and clarifying DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) mechanisms. Expert-led technical sessions were held on application processing, eligibility verification norms, and digital workflows. A total of 311 participants attended the workshop, including 192 officers from the Kargil district and 119 from the Leh district, marking a significant representation from across the Union Territory.

On the occasion, Smt. A. Srija spoke about the importance of timely scholarship payments to children from economically weaker sections and the need for prompt verification of applications by State-Level Officers on NSP.

Smt. Priya Gopal, Senior Technical Director (NIC) NSP, made a presentation on the new features of NSP for registration and verification during 2025-26 which was followed by detailed interaction between District Nodal Officers (DNOs) and Institute Nodal Officers (INOs) and UT administrative officials. Shri Ravi Ranjan, Under Secretary (DBT Mission) presented the implementation modalities involved in the registration, verification and payment process of NMMSS scholarships online through the National Scholarship Portal.

These distinguished guests shared insights on policy frameworks, addressed queries from participants, and emphasized the importance of transparency and efficiency in scholarship disbursement.

Furthermore, they committed to providing continuous technical assistance to all nodal officers via WhatsApp groups and dedicated portal-based support systems, ensuring timely resolution of queries and smoother implementation of the scheme.

The interactive sessions provided practical guidance and solutions to on-ground challenges, thereby strengthening the administrative capacity of nodal officers. The initiative reflects DSEL's unwavering commitment to ensuring timely, transparent, and student-centric implementation of central scholarship schemes across the region.

Under the Central Sector Scheme namely the ‘National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme’ scholarships are awarded to meritorious students of economically weaker sections to arrest their drop out at class VIII and encourage them to continue their education at the secondary stage. One lakh fresh scholarships are awarded to selected students from class IX every year and their continuation/renewal in classes X to XII for students studying in State Government, Government-aided and local body schools. The amount of the scholarship is Rs. 12000 per annum.

Students whose parental income from all sources is not more than Rs. 3,50,000 per annum are eligible to avail the scholarships. The students must have a minimum of 55% marks or equivalent grade in the Class VII examination to appear in the selection test for the award of a scholarship (relaxable by 5% for SC/ST students).

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MV/AK

MOE/DoSEL/30 June 2025/30

Nmmss Press Release