The Department of School Education & Literacy (DoSEL), Ministry of Education, hosted a national-level workshop on August 28, 2024, in New Delhi to discuss the new features of the National Scholarship Portal (NSP) for the academic year 2024-25 under the National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme (NMMSS). The workshop was presided over by Ms. A. Srija, Economic Adviser, DoSEL, and attended by State Nodal Officers (SNOs) of NMMSS from various States and Union Territories, both in person and virtually. Representatives from the DBT Mission, NIC-National Scholarship Portal (NSP), and UIDAI also participated in the event.
A key focus of the workshop was the introduction of the One Time Registration (OTR) module to the NSP, a feature that will be available to students throughout their academic careers starting from the 2024-25 academic year. The OTR is a unique 14-digit number issued based on an Aadhaar or Enrolment ID, which students must use to apply for scholarships on the NSP. This OTR will remain valid throughout the student’s academic lifecycle, streamlining the application process and reducing the risk of duplicate applications.
During her address, Ms A. Srija emphasised the importance of timely scholarship payments to economically weaker section (EWS) students selected on merit and urged state-level officers to ensure prompt verification of applications on the NSP. She also highlighted the need for proper orientation of parents, teachers, and students on the new OTR feature to facilitate smooth registration for fresh and renewal cases.
Shri Devendra Kumar, Director (DBT Mission), discussed the Aadhaar payment bridge’s integration with the NSP, which ensures secure and efficient disbursement of scholarship funds directly into beneficiaries’ bank accounts. He also introduced the newly implemented Grievance Redressal Mechanism (GRM) on the NSP and sought feedback from State Nodal Officers for its improvement.
Further insights were provided by Shri Sanjeev Yadav, Director (UIDAI), who advocated for the use of bio-authentication over demographic authentication, presenting a more accurate method for verifying student identities. He introduced an application-based bio-face authentication feature for students and nodal officers involved in the NMMSS, emphasising the importance of Aadhaar-seeded accounts for successful scholarship disbursement.
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The National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme (NMMSS) aims to prevent dropouts at the Class VIII level and encourage students to continue their education up to the secondary stage. Each year, one lakh fresh scholarships are awarded to selected students from Class IX, with the scholarship amount set at ₹12,000 per annum.
This workshop underscored the government’s commitment to improving access to education for deserving students from economically weaker sections, ensuring that the National Scholarship Portal continues to serve as an effective platform for the disbursement of scholarships across the country.
