ITANAGAR, 4 Oct: A workshop on the National Means-Cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme (NMMSS) – the first of its kind in the Northeast – was held here on Saturday.
The workshop was led by Undersecretary to the Government of India Hema Malini SK Deepak, along with senior consultant Raghvendra Kumar Khare and NMMSS Division Senior Executive Subodh Varshney.
In her address, Deepak highlighted the importance of the NMMSS in uplifting meritorious students from economically weaker sections. She urged all implementing officers to ensure transparency, timely verification, and smooth disbursement of scholarships, so that no deserving student is left behind.
Secondary Education Joint Director Tanyang Tatak expressed appreciation for the union Education Ministry’s initiative in choosing Arunachal Pradesh for the milestone event.
The programme saw the participation of district nodal officers (DNOs), institutional nodal officers (INOs), and heads of institutions from across the state, including senior officers such as Secondary Education Deputy Director Emin Rumi, Lohit DDSE Tumgam Nyodu, and Keyi Panyor DDSE Koj Tajang.
The workshop was coordinated by NMMSS state nodal officer Komen Zirdo, who delivered a detailed presentation on the roles and responsibilities of DNOs, covering student identification, verification processes, data accuracy, and grievance redressal mechanisms.
Zirdo also announced that the last date for online applications under the NMMSS has been extended up to 15 October 2025 (fresh/renewal) for the academic year 2025-26.
Additionally, institutional nodal officer, VKV PTC Banderdewa, Siddhartha Dutta conducted a session on the crucial role of INOs in assisting students with form submissions and verification challenges, and providing feedback on ground-level implementation. He also sought suggestions to further strengthen the system.
The training aimed to improve the operational efficiency of the DNOs and INOs in handling applications, verifications, and disbursement processes through the national scholarship portal(NSP).
The discussions emphasized on digital transparency, accountability, and continuous monitoring to ensure that scholarships reach deserving beneficiaries promptly.
The NMMSS provides an annual scholarship of Rs 12,000 per student to meritorious students from economically weaker sections. Selection is made through a state-level offline examination conducted for Class 8 students. Eligibility requires students to have passed Class 7 with a minimum of 55% marks for the general category and 50% marks for the ST category in their annual examination. Applications can only be submitted through respective heads of institutions (HoIs). Students studying in government or government-aided schools are eligible, while those enrolled in Kendriya Vidyalayas, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas, and private schools are not eligible.
The scheme plays a pivotal role in reducing dropouts at the secondary level by enabling deserving students to continue their education without financial hardship.
Participants expressed gratitude to the union Ministry of Education for initiating the capacity-building programme, which empowered field officers as crucial facilitators between the government and student beneficiaries.
