On June 17, 2025, the Directorate of Higher Education in Nagaland conducted a press conference to provide an official update regarding the disbursement of post-matric scholarships for Scheduled Tribe (ST) students for the academic year 2024–2025. The briefing was led by Officials on Special Duty (OSDs), Keduosielie Keyho and Tol Pucho, from the Higher Education Department. They addressed the media on the implementation status, funding details, and operational changes in the scholarship scheme.

The post-matric scholarship scheme follows a 90:10 funding ratio between the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India, and the Government of Nagaland. For the academic year 2024–25, a total of 41,793 students have been recognized as eligible beneficiaries. To support this number, a financial requirement of ₹5,638.06 lakhs has been calculated. However, the department currently has access to only ₹3,070 lakhs—comprising ₹2,728.89 lakhs from the Centre and ₹341.11 lakhs from the State. Due to this funding gap, a phase-wise disbursement strategy has been adopted.

In the initial phase, full scholarship amounts will be released to 22,000 students—approximately 52.64% of the total eligible group. These students were selected based on the successful authentication of their credentials in the system. In total, 30,451 student applications have passed the verification stage, while 11,342 applicants remain unauthenticated. The department has reached out to the unverified students through SMS alerts, which include specific instructions for rectifying their application status. The remaining verified students, not covered in the first phase, will receive their scholarships once additional funds are made available.

A major change in this year’s scholarship process is the transition from the Public Financial Management System (PFMS) to the National Scholarship Portal (NSP) for fund disbursement. This is the first time Nagaland is using the NSP for this scholarship. Under the NSP, instead of staggered instalments, the scholarships will be paid in a single full disbursement per beneficiary—though still released in multiple phases due to funding constraints.

Additionally, all payments will now be executed using the Aadhaar-based Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system. This means that students must ensure their bank accounts are linked to their Aadhaar numbers to successfully receive the funds. The department emphasized that this shift to an Aadhaar-based DBT system aligns with the central government’s broader objective of complete digitisation and increasing transparency in welfare scheme implementation.

In summary, the press conference outlined a structured, transparent, and phased approach to disbursing post-matric scholarships to ST students in Nagaland. While funding constraints necessitate a staggered release, a significant number of students will receive their full scholarships in the first round. The introduction of the NSP and Aadhaar-linked DBT is expected to streamline the process, reduce errors, and enhance accountability.