Nagaland
INR 68.57 crore sanctioned for scholarships in Nagaland in last 3 years
Centre is yet to disburse scholarships for 2022-23, 2023-24.
KOHIMA — The Union Ministry of Minority Affairs had sanctioned a total of INR 68.57 crore for pre-matric, post-matric, and merit-cum-means scholarships to Nagaland for 2020-21 and 2021-22.
This was disclosed by Minister of Minority Affairs Smriti Zubin Irani in a written reply to an unstarred question by Nagaland’s lone Lok Sabha MP Tokheho Yepthomi during the Parliament session.
The MP had raised the implementation of various schemes in Nagaland for minority communities and the quantum of funds released to Nagaland under the said schemes during the last three years and the current year.
During 2020-21, the ministry sanctioned a total of INR 31.0 crore for all three categories of scholarships to students in Nagaland. It also sanctioned a total of INR 36.67 crore in 2021-22. Meanwhile, scholarships for 2022-23 and 2023-24 have not been disbursed.
The minister also informed that a total of INR 221.92 crore has been sanctioned for 10 infrastructure projects in Nagaland under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK) scheme for the last three years till 2022-23.
Out of the central share of INR 199.72 crore for the implementation of these projects, INR 147.06 crore have already been released till date. As per the information received from the state, it has an unspent balance of INR 33.59 crore and a utilisation certificate of INR 66.70 crore is also pending against the expenditure.
The National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC) extends concessional credit for self-employment activities to the backward sections amongst the notified minorities through the State Channelising Agencies (SCAs), it was informed.
Nagaland State Social Welfare Board, Nagaland Industrial Development Corporation, and Nagaland Handloom and Handicrafts Development Corporation, the state channelising agencies for NMDFC in the state, have not been able to draw funds from NMDFC due to the accumulation of overdue.
The NMDFC entered into an MOU with Canara Bank in FY 2021-22 to implement its schemes across the country with a focus on states where SCAS are non-operational and in Nagaland, Canara Bank has disbursed INR 3.20 lakh in the FY 2022-23 to the targeted beneficiaries, it informed.
The Ministry of Minority Affairs specifically implements various schemes across the country including in the state of Nagaland for socio-economic and educational empowerment of the six centrally-notified minority communities.