Pakyong, September 19 (IPR): A one-day district-level sensitisation programme/ workshop on the National Scholarship Portal (NSP) and Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan (NMBA) was organised by the Social Welfare Department, Pakyong District, at the RDD Community Complex, Rurban Pakyong, today.
The programme/workshop aimed to maximise outreach to beneficiaries of various state and central scholarship schemes and to raise awareness among the youth about substance abuse and illicit trafficking towards achieving a Nasha Mukt Sikkim.
Sub-Divisional Magistrate (Headquarters), Mr Thendup Lepcha attended the programme as the chief guest.
During the programme, Joint Secretary, Scholarship Social Welfare Department (Headquarters), Ms Kabita Subba, outlined various central sector scholarship schemes, including SHRESHTA (Residential Education for Students in High Schools in Targeted Areas), Top Class Education for OBC students at the school level, Top Class Education for ST, SC, and OBC students at the college level, and the National Overseas Scholarship Scheme for ST and SC students.
Emphasising the need for institutions to ensure timely verification of applications, she informed the participants that registrations are open until 31 October 2025.
In addition, she recognised the role of Institute Nodal Officers (INOs) in facilitating scholarships last year, addressed other relevant aspects of the scholarship schemes, and urged them to continue their support in the current session.
Under Secretary, Social Welfare Department (Headquarter), Mr Namgyal Lepcha, briefed the gathering on NMBA, explaining substance abuse, its types, forms of addiction, and the major causes behind it. Emphasising that youth are the backbone of the state’s growth, he outlined the health, social, and financial consequences of substance abuse, noting that addiction is treatable, and urged collective community support to curb the issue.
He further detailed the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, and its provisions under Article 341 and Article 342 of the Constitution, discussing its enactment, objectives, and role in safeguarding the rights of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
He outlined the communities covered under the Act and classified offences as physical, verbal, social, caste-based, economic, and political atrocities, including those related to insults and offences against women.
He explained key provisions on relief and rehabilitation for victims and stated that punishments under the Act range from six months’ imprisonment to life imprisonment, depending on the severity of the offence.
Assistant Director, IT Cell, SWD (Headquarter), Ms Srijana Karkidoli, delivered a detailed presentation on the technical aspects of the NSP, explaining the step-by-step registration process and the roles of INOs. She also outlined key applications and services available on the portal, including the new grievance redressal feature that enables students and institutions to resolve application-related issues.
Addressing potential issues in the application process, she urged INOs and Head of Institutions (HOIs) to review and rectify defective applications to ensure that students are not deprived of opportunities.
Following this, Assistant Director, District Education Office, Pakyong, Mr Kailash Sharma spoke on National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme (NMMSS), whose objective is to award scholarships to meritorious students of economically weaker sections to prevent their dropout at Class VIII and encourage them to continue their studies at the secondary stage.
He informed that the scheme is applicable only to students of State Governments, Government-aided, and local body schools. Under NMMSS, each selected student receives Rs 12,000 per annum, disbursed directly into their bank accounts through the DBT mode.
Mr Sharma explained the eligibility criteria, registration process, and levels of verification for applications on NSP for NMMSS. He highlighted the crucial role of HOIs and INOs in facilitating access to scholarships and addressed possible technical challenges during the application process.
He further urged HOIs and INOs to work diligently to ensure that scholarships reach deserving students and contribute to their overall development.
District Nodal Officer Scholarship cum Welfare Inspector, SWD, Mr Krishna Rai, elaborated on various schemes implemented under the Social Welfare Department. He provided details of pre- and post-matric scholarships available for Scheduled Tribe, Scheduled Caste, Other Backward Class, Minority, and Economically Backward Class students, outlining their eligibility criteria, required documents, and application process, noting that all applications are processed through the NSP.
Explaining the registration procedure on the NSP, he provided information on the mandatory One-Time Registration process on the NSP and its linkage with Aadhaar.
Prior to the programme, a pledge on the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan was administered by the Under Secretary, Social Welfare Department (Headquarter), Mr Namgyal Lepcha.
Further, an interactive session for feedback and queries was held, allowing participants to clarify procedural doubts related to the NSP and scholarship schemes.
The programme was attended by HOIs and INOs from various schools and colleges across the district along with staff of the Social Welfare Department, Pakyong District.
Report from DIO Pakyong