Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma has released the second and final instalment of the Umbrella Post Matric Scholarship amounting to ₹130 crore, bringing long-awaited relief to nearly 70,000 students across the state.

The payout, fully funded by the state exchequer, comes amid delays from the Centre — a move Sangma described as necessary to prevent students from being “stuck in bureaucracy at the cost of their education.”

The announcement was made at a programme held at the Tura district auditorium, attended by Education Minister Lakhmen Rymbui, Commissioner and Secretary (Education) Vijay Kumar Mantri, Deputy Commissioner Vibhor Aggarwal, and senior education officials. Over 7,000 students joined online, with thousands more connecting from nearly 200 remote locations.

State steps in as Centre delays funds

Addressing the gathering, Sangma said earlier guidelines prevented advance scholarship transfers, but a new mechanism agreed upon with the Centre now enables earlier disbursal.

“Students cannot wait endlessly for approvals. We made the decision to fund the entire instalment from state resources so their academic journey continues uninterrupted,” he said.

Once the scholarship amount is transferred to Meghalaya Rural Bank, a brief verification process will follow before students receive payments. The Chief Minister urged students to ensure Aadhaar-linked bank accounts to avoid final-stage delays.

Education, reforms and long-term planning

Calling education one of his government’s “highest governance priorities,” Sangma said long-pending reforms for SSA and ad hoc teachers are now nearing completion and may be implemented from the next financial year.

He linked the scholarship initiative to a broader youth development roadmap driven by programmes such as CM Elevate, YESS Meghalaya, PRIME, MGMP, Hello Meghalaya and STAR, positioning education, entrepreneurship and skilling as the foundation of the state’s future economy.

“We are already planning growth until 2047,” he said. “The youth of Meghalaya will be in the driver’s seat to take the state into its next phase — with confidence, capability and opportunity.”

'A red-letter day'

Education Minister Lakhmen Rymbui described the day as a “red-letter day for Meghalaya’s students”, saying the release reaffirmed the government’s commitment to equitable and accessible education.

Heads of institutions, educators, students and senior officials attended the programme both physically and virtually, marking one of the largest coordinated scholarship rollout events in the state.