The Ministry of Education recently hosted a national-level workshop in Delhi for state nodal officers of the National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme (NMMSS). The event focused on the introduction of a new One Time Registration (OTR) feature within the National Scholarship Portal (NSP) for the academic year 2024-25. The workshop, led by A Srija, Economic Adviser at the Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL), included participants from State Education Officers/State Nodal Officers (NMMSS), the DBT Mission, NIC-NSP, and UIDAI, with some attendees joining virtually.
Key Features of the OTR Module:
The OTR module, available year-round, assigns students a unique 14-digit number based on their Aadhaar or Enrolment ID (EID). This OTR ID remains valid throughout the student’s academic career and is essential for applying for scholarships on the NSP. Upon registering on the NSP, students receive an OTR ID and password, allowing them to apply for various schemes or withdraw from them without generating multiple NSP IDs. The OTR system ensures that only one application ID is active per OTR ID at any given time, streamlining the application process and enabling comprehensive tracking of the student’s scholarship and educational history.
Workshop Insights:
A Srija emphasized the importance of timely scholarship payments to economically weaker section (EWS) students selected on merit and stressed the need for prompt application verification by state officers on the NSP. With the NSP hosting several state scholarship schemes, State/UT Nodal Officers (SNOs) were encouraged to educate parents, teachers, and students on the correct registration procedures, especially the accuracy of names and details in school records and Aadhaar to avoid future mismatches.
Aadhaar and Payment Integration:
Devendra Kumar, Director of the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) Mission, discussed the introduction of the Aadhaar payment bridge to the NSP from the 2023-24 project year, which ensures direct scholarship disbursement through DBT into beneficiaries’ accounts. The NSP has also added a Grievance Redressal Mechanism (GRM) to address any issues, with SNOs urged to utilize this facility. Sanjeev Yadav, Director at UIDAI, highlighted the shift to bio-authentication for more accurate verification and clarified that scholarships are disbursed only to Aadhaar-seeded accounts.
Support for Underserved Students:
The National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme (NMMSS) aims to support meritorious EWS students by preventing dropouts after Class VIII and encouraging continuation to the secondary stage. Each year, one lakh fresh scholarships of ₹12,000 per annum are awarded to selected students from Class IX, with the option for renewal through Classes X to XII. Eligible students must have a family income not exceeding ₹3,50,000 per annum and achieve at least 55% marks in Class VII (with a 5% relaxation for SC/ST students). States and UTs conduct selection exams annually to identify eligible students for these scholarships.
This workshop and the introduction of the OTR module represent significant steps in enhancing the efficiency and accessibility of scholarship schemes for students across India.
