85 Percent ST Students Receive Scholarships: Tribal Welfare Minister

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, October 23, 2025

The Tripura Government has clarified recent media reports on the disbursement of Scheduled Tribe (ST) Post-Matric Scholarships, saying the publication of incomplete information could mislead students.

According to the Tribal Welfare Department, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) has released Rs 50 crore for 2023-24 and Rs 24.94 crore for 2023-24 and 2024-25 during the current fiscal. So far, 28,163 ST students—about 85 percent of eligible beneficiaries—have received their scholarships for 2024-25. “Tripura is the first state in the Northeast and second in the country after Goa to complete disbursement within a month of the financial year’s end,” the release said.

The remaining 5,152 students will receive payments once the pending funds are released by MoTA. The delay, the department clarified, is due to technical issues with the newly introduced SNA-SPARSH payment mechanism, affecting several states, including Mizoram.

Tribal Welfare Minister Bikash Debbarma said a team led by the State Nodal Officer is in constant coordination with MoTA to resolve the issue and ensure timely scholarship disbursement.

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