News & Announcement
Sensitisation Drive on National Scholarship Schemes Held in Gangtok
Gangtok, Aug 3 (IPR): A sensitisation drive on National Scholarship Schemes, covering Pre-Matric and Post-Matric scholarships, was organised today at the Mini Hall, Manan Kendra, Gangtok, under the direction of the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Singh Tamang.
The programme was organised by the Students’ Welfare Board, Education Department, Government of Sikkim, in collaboration with the Social Welfare Department, Government of Sikkim, with the objective of creating wider awareness and facilitating access to scholarship and welfare benefits among students across the State.
Political Secretaries to the Chief Minister, Mr Jacob Khaling and Mr Bikash Basnet, attended the programme as Chief Guests.
Chairperson, Students’ Welfare Board, Mr Sonam Chopel, along with Board members, was also present on the occasion.
Political Secretary to the Chief Minister, Mr Jacob Khaling, in his address, emphasised the importance of ensuring that eligible students across Sikkim are able to fully benefit from scholarships and financial assistance available through various Central Government schemes. He noted that a significant amount of assistance often remains unutilised due to a lack of awareness or the non-submission of applications, resulting in funds being returned.
He stressed the need for greater coordination among public representatives, government departments, and grassroots-level functionaries to ensure that students are made aware of and guided towards available Central Government scholarship schemes before seeking additional assistance from State resources.
Mr Jacob Khaling acknowledged the initiative undertaken by the Students’ Welfare Board, Education Department, and Social Welfare Department to strengthen awareness and facilitate access to scholarship schemes. He urged all concerned representatives and officials to actively participate in the initiative and ensure that information reaches students and families at the grassroots level.
Emphasising the importance of a student and youth-centric approach, he stated that young people must remain at the centre of developmental initiatives and that sustained engagement with students and youth would be essential for building an informed, empowered, and future-ready generation.
Chairperson, Students’ Welfare Board, Mr Sonam Chopel, in his introductory address, stated that the sensitisation drive was organised under the guidance of the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Singh Tamang, to strengthen awareness of and access to student welfare schemes across Sikkim. He highlighted that the scholarship portal will remain open until August 31, 2026, and urged all representatives to ensure maximum participation among eligible students.
The Chairperson also emphasised the importance of students first availing themselves of government scholarship schemes before seeking additional financial assistance, stating that this would help ensure optimum utilisation of public funds.
He further urged constituency representatives to guide students regarding competitive examinations such as CUET and NEET, particularly highlighting the importance of CUET for students aspiring to pursue higher education in institutions across the country. He informed that Welfare Officers and a centralised service centre had been made available to assist students with scholarship applications and address difficulties faced during the application process.
PRO to the Chief Minister, Mr Ratnamani Pradhan, elaborated on the financial support available to students through the Chief Minister’s Assistance Scheme and the Comprehensive Education Loan Scheme implemented through SIDICO. Highlighting several success stories, he underscored how these initiatives have enabled students to pursue higher and professional education despite financial constraints.
He urged public representatives to disseminate information on the National Scholarship Portal and available financial assistance schemes at the grassroots level, stressing that greater awareness and outreach are essential to make higher education more accessible and ensure that no deserving student is deprived of educational opportunities due to financial constraints.
Special Secretary, Social Welfare Department, Ms Bandana Chettri, made a detailed presentation on the scholarship schemes implemented by the Department and outlined the eligibility criteria, application process, and benefits available to students.
She informed that the Department implements scholarship schemes under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs for ST students and the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment for SC and OBC students. She also informed that the scholarship scheme under the Ministry of Minority Affairs has remained discontinued for the past three years.
She explained that the scholarships broadly comprise Pre-Matric and Post-Matric schemes. Pre-Matric scholarships are applicable to students in Classes 9 and 10, while Post-Matric scholarships cover students from Class 11 onwards. She emphasised that Aadhaar-bank account linkage and validation are mandatory, as failure to validate bank accounts is a major reason for scholarship payments being rejected or returned.
She also highlighted a special provision under the SC Component for students belonging to eligible beneficiary families under the scheme. Under this provision, eligible students can avail themselves of scholarship benefits from Class 1 onwards. An occupation certificate is mandatory, while the income criterion does not apply to this category.
She urged all constituency representatives and officials to disseminate accurate information on eligibility, documentation, and application procedures so that the maximum number of eligible students can benefit from the available scholarship schemes.
Joint Director, Education Department, Ms Pemba Lhamu, made a detailed presentation on various scholarship and financial assistance schemes administered by the Education Department. She highlighted key programmes, including the Chief Minister’s Merit Scholarship Scheme, Financial Assistance for RIMC Dehradun, Financial Assistance for Sainik School Goalpara, Assam, Him Jyoti School, Dehradun, and Banasthali University Scholarship, among others.
She outlined the key eligibility requirements, nature of assistance, and application procedures under these schemes and emphasised the importance of timely dissemination of information to ensure that deserving students are able to avail themselves of the available opportunities.
Videos explaining the application procedure, prepared by the Social Welfare Department, were also presented by Ms Srijana Karkidoli, AD (IT), Social Welfare Department.
The programme was moderated by RO to the Chief Minister, Mr Surjay Pradhan.
An interactive session followed the presentations, providing an opportunity for participating officials and constituency-level representatives to familiarise themselves with the various scholarship schemes and welfare benefits administered by the concerned departments. The session also focused on strengthening coordination at the constituency and grassroots levels to ensure effective implementation and wider outreach of the schemes.
The programme was also attended by Special Secretary, Social Welfare Department, Ms Bandana Chettri, Joint Director, Education Department, Ms Pemba Lhamu, ITS Member, Dr Neeraj Adhikari, Officers on Special Duty (OSDs), Constituency Level Committee (CLC) representatives, and Social Welfare Officers from all 32 constituencies of Sikkim.
The sensitisation drive concluded with an emphasis on ensuring that no eligible student is left out of available scholarship and financial assistance opportunities due to a lack of information or guidance.
The programme was organised by the Students’ Welfare Board, Education Department, Government of Sikkim, in collaboration with the Social Welfare Department, Government of Sikkim, with the objective of creating wider awareness and facilitating access to scholarship and welfare benefits among students across the State.
Political Secretaries to the Chief Minister, Mr Jacob Khaling and Mr Bikash Basnet, attended the programme as Chief Guests.
Chairperson, Students’ Welfare Board, Mr Sonam Chopel, along with Board members, was also present on the occasion.
Political Secretary to the Chief Minister, Mr Jacob Khaling, in his address, emphasised the importance of ensuring that eligible students across Sikkim are able to fully benefit from scholarships and financial assistance available through various Central Government schemes. He noted that a significant amount of assistance often remains unutilised due to a lack of awareness or the non-submission of applications, resulting in funds being returned.
He stressed the need for greater coordination among public representatives, government departments, and grassroots-level functionaries to ensure that students are made aware of and guided towards available Central Government scholarship schemes before seeking additional assistance from State resources.
Mr Jacob Khaling acknowledged the initiative undertaken by the Students’ Welfare Board, Education Department, and Social Welfare Department to strengthen awareness and facilitate access to scholarship schemes. He urged all concerned representatives and officials to actively participate in the initiative and ensure that information reaches students and families at the grassroots level.
Emphasising the importance of a student and youth-centric approach, he stated that young people must remain at the centre of developmental initiatives and that sustained engagement with students and youth would be essential for building an informed, empowered, and future-ready generation.
Chairperson, Students’ Welfare Board, Mr Sonam Chopel, in his introductory address, stated that the sensitisation drive was organised under the guidance of the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Singh Tamang, to strengthen awareness of and access to student welfare schemes across Sikkim. He highlighted that the scholarship portal will remain open until August 31, 2026, and urged all representatives to ensure maximum participation among eligible students.
The Chairperson also emphasised the importance of students first availing themselves of government scholarship schemes before seeking additional financial assistance, stating that this would help ensure optimum utilisation of public funds.
He further urged constituency representatives to guide students regarding competitive examinations such as CUET and NEET, particularly highlighting the importance of CUET for students aspiring to pursue higher education in institutions across the country. He informed that Welfare Officers and a centralised service centre had been made available to assist students with scholarship applications and address difficulties faced during the application process.
PRO to the Chief Minister, Mr Ratnamani Pradhan, elaborated on the financial support available to students through the Chief Minister’s Assistance Scheme and the Comprehensive Education Loan Scheme implemented through SIDICO. Highlighting several success stories, he underscored how these initiatives have enabled students to pursue higher and professional education despite financial constraints.
He urged public representatives to disseminate information on the National Scholarship Portal and available financial assistance schemes at the grassroots level, stressing that greater awareness and outreach are essential to make higher education more accessible and ensure that no deserving student is deprived of educational opportunities due to financial constraints.
Special Secretary, Social Welfare Department, Ms Bandana Chettri, made a detailed presentation on the scholarship schemes implemented by the Department and outlined the eligibility criteria, application process, and benefits available to students.
She informed that the Department implements scholarship schemes under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs for ST students and the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment for SC and OBC students. She also informed that the scholarship scheme under the Ministry of Minority Affairs has remained discontinued for the past three years.
She explained that the scholarships broadly comprise Pre-Matric and Post-Matric schemes. Pre-Matric scholarships are applicable to students in Classes 9 and 10, while Post-Matric scholarships cover students from Class 11 onwards. She emphasised that Aadhaar-bank account linkage and validation are mandatory, as failure to validate bank accounts is a major reason for scholarship payments being rejected or returned.
She also highlighted a special provision under the SC Component for students belonging to eligible beneficiary families under the scheme. Under this provision, eligible students can avail themselves of scholarship benefits from Class 1 onwards. An occupation certificate is mandatory, while the income criterion does not apply to this category.
She urged all constituency representatives and officials to disseminate accurate information on eligibility, documentation, and application procedures so that the maximum number of eligible students can benefit from the available scholarship schemes.
Joint Director, Education Department, Ms Pemba Lhamu, made a detailed presentation on various scholarship and financial assistance schemes administered by the Education Department. She highlighted key programmes, including the Chief Minister’s Merit Scholarship Scheme, Financial Assistance for RIMC Dehradun, Financial Assistance for Sainik School Goalpara, Assam, Him Jyoti School, Dehradun, and Banasthali University Scholarship, among others.
She outlined the key eligibility requirements, nature of assistance, and application procedures under these schemes and emphasised the importance of timely dissemination of information to ensure that deserving students are able to avail themselves of the available opportunities.
Videos explaining the application procedure, prepared by the Social Welfare Department, were also presented by Ms Srijana Karkidoli, AD (IT), Social Welfare Department.
The programme was moderated by RO to the Chief Minister, Mr Surjay Pradhan.
An interactive session followed the presentations, providing an opportunity for participating officials and constituency-level representatives to familiarise themselves with the various scholarship schemes and welfare benefits administered by the concerned departments. The session also focused on strengthening coordination at the constituency and grassroots levels to ensure effective implementation and wider outreach of the schemes.
The programme was also attended by Special Secretary, Social Welfare Department, Ms Bandana Chettri, Joint Director, Education Department, Ms Pemba Lhamu, ITS Member, Dr Neeraj Adhikari, Officers on Special Duty (OSDs), Constituency Level Committee (CLC) representatives, and Social Welfare Officers from all 32 constituencies of Sikkim.
The sensitisation drive concluded with an emphasis on ensuring that no eligible student is left out of available scholarship and financial assistance opportunities due to a lack of information or guidance.
