Over 28,000 students set to benefit

The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has commenced the distribution of student scholarships following the instructions of Commissioner Dr. Kailas Shinde.

The Social Development Department has started the process, with the first phase involving the transfer of over Rs. 2.15 crore to the bank accounts of 3,174 eligible students. Additionally, this week, more than Rs. 19.67 crore will be deposited into the accounts of 25,417 students whose eligibility has been confirmed.

NMMC Commissioner  Dr. Kailas Shinde had directed that the scholarships be distributed promptly. The Social Development Department was given a structured plan to handle application verification, address document errors, and grant extensions for document submission. This process has been closely monitored by the Commissioner, leading to the swift initiation of scholarship distribution.

Applications for the 2023-2024 fiscal year were invited through a public notice published on February 8, 2024. The deadline for applications was initially set for February 29, 2024, but was extended first to March 15 and then to March 31, 2024, in response to citizen requests.

A total of 40,635 online applications were received for various scholarship schemes. In the first phase, 5,594 beneficiaries were identified, but distribution was delayed due to the Model Code of Conduct for the Lok Sabha elections, which began on March 15, 2024, and the subsequent code for Graduate Constituency elections.

Despite these delays, internal processing continued during the Code of Conduct period, accelerating the scholarship distribution process. Consequently, scholarships for the 2023-2024 fiscal year are now being distributed to children of widows and divorced women, economically disadvantaged students, project-affected families, and children of municipal cleaning and contract workers. On July 18, 2024, Rs. 2.15 crore was distributed to 3,174 students.

Furthermore, scholarships totalling Rs. 19.67 crore are being deposited into the accounts of 25,417 students this week.

The NMMC Social Development Department continues to implement various welfare schemes for women, children, destitutes, widows, youth from backward classes, and other vulnerable groups. Eligible residents of Navi Mumbai are encouraged to take advantage of these schemes.