NEW DELHI: The Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL) under the Education Ministry has asked nodal officers of different grades to ensure accurate and timely verification of applications submitted by beneficiary students for the National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme (NMMSS).
The scheme provides an annual scholarship of Rs 12,000 to meritorious students from economically weaker sections.
An official release said applications are submitted on the National Scholarship Portal (NSP). State Nodal Officers (SNOs), District Nodal Officers (DNOs) and Institute Nodal Officers (INOs) play a crucial role in the verification process, it said.
The last date for registration of applications for the academic year 2026–27 is October 31, 2026. The last dates for verification of applications at the INO and DNO levels are November 15 and November 30, respectively, it said.
“The objective of NMMSS is to reduce dropouts after Class VIII and encourage students to continue their education up to Class XII,” the release specified.
A regional, day-long orientation-cum-review workshop on NMMSS was held in Bhopal on October 14. It focused on reviewing the progress of implementation of the scheme, orienting officials on its mode of operation through the NSP, and discussing issues raised by states regarding the verification of student applications at the INO and DNO levels.
The implementation process of the scholarship was dealt with extensively during the workshop. It covered the registration of fresh students, the status of onboarding, the application verification process, a live demonstration of NSP processes for INOs and DNOs, and feedback and experiences shared by NMMSS student awardees. It was led by DoSEL Economic Adviser A. Srija.
The interaction provided an opportunity for States/UTs to share their experiences in implementing the scheme, identify operational and technical challenges, and discuss measures to improve the efficiency of registration, verification and scholarship delivery.
“The selection examination (for NMMSS) is conducted by the respective States/UTs, while registration, authentication and scholarship disbursement are undertaken through the NSP.”