JAMMU: Aimed at facilitating the educational pursuits of tribal students across Jammu & Kashmir, the Tribal Affairs Department has commenced the electronic disbursal of Post-Matric Scholarships to eligible Scheduled Tribe (ST-I and ST-II) students, providing much-needed relief to thousands of beneficiaries.
The release of scholarships had earlier encountered unavoidable delays due to technical complications arising out of the transition from the SNA system to the SNA–SPARSH platform.
These challenges primarily involved issues related to data migration and porting across integrated digital platforms. Although the requisite funds had been released promptly by the Tribal Affairs Department, the actual transfer to student accounts could not be executed owing to these system-level technical constraints.
The prolonged delay had drawn the attention of student associations, civil society representatives and social activists, who consistently raised concerns and urged authorities to resolve the issue at the earliest to safeguard the educational interests of tribal students.
Following sustained efforts and coordinated intervention, the matter has now been successfully resolved by the National Informatics Centre (NIC). With this achievement, Jammu & Kashmir has emerged as the first Union Territory among UTs and States in the country to successfully complete the SNA-to-SNA SPARSH transition, marking a notable milestone in the implementation of digital public finance reforms and e-governance initiatives.
Subsequent to the resolution of the technical issues, the scholarship disbursal process has been formally initiated.
An amount of ₹16.65 crore is being released to eligible ST-I and ST-II students who have applied through the online scholarship portal, ensuring direct benefit transfer to their respective bank accounts.
Javed Ahmed Rana, Minister for Tribal Affairs, who is personally and continuously monitoring the situation, maintained regular follow-ups with the concerned authorities to expedite the resolution of the long-pending issue. He directed the authorities in the Tribal Affairs Department to fast-track electronic disbursal so that the educational pursuits of students are not hindered.
The Department further assured that all eligible beneficiaries will receive their scholarships at the earliest, underscoring the government’s dedication towards supporting education and empowerment of tribal communities.
