The Government has not shelved the INSPIRE-SHE (Scholarship for Higher Education) scheme, which is under redesign, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh said in written replies in the Rajya Sabha. The redesign is meant to strengthen the scheme's objectives, improve its implementation framework and align it with emerging priorities in science education and research.
The replies also described how the wider programme works and whom it has reached.
The Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) Programme of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) has four components, each aimed at a different stage of the academic and research pipeline.
INSPIRE MANAK (Million Minds Augmenting National Aspiration and Knowledge) is for students aged 10-17 years in Classes VI-XII. It encourages them to develop and showcase original ideas and innovations.
INSPIRE-SHE supports meritorious students aged 17-22 years pursuing undergraduate and postgraduate studies in natural and basic sciences. It awards 12,000 scholarships annually, each worth ₹80,000 a year.
The INSPIRE Fellowship backs outstanding graduates and INSPIRE scholars in full-time Ph.D. programmes for up to five years. It pays ₹37,000 a month for a Junior Research Fellow and ₹42,000 a month for a Senior Research Fellow, with admissible House Rent Allowance and an annual contingency grant of ₹20,000.
The INSPIRE Faculty Fellowship supports postdoctoral researchers, generally aged 27-32 years, with age relaxations for reserved categories. The five-year fellowship pays ₹1,25,000 a month, with an annual increment of ₹2,000 and a research grant of ₹35 lakh over the period.
Between 2021-22 and 2025-26, INSPIRE-SHE beneficiaries rose from 18,039 to 24,276, with a dip to 18,236 in 2023-24. The Faculty Fellowship fell from 474 in 2021-22 to 225 in 2024-25, before recovering to 477 in 2025-26.
The INSPIRE Fellowship stayed between 2,448 and 3,364 over the period, the higher figure being for 2025-26. INSPIRE-MANAK ranged between 43,381 and 52,720, and stood at 49,805 in 2025-26. The Government said the impact of these components is being monitored and analysed to support strategic planning.
Since inception, 136,298 students have benefited under INSPIRE-SHE, with ₹2,784.15 crore disbursed. Uttar Pradesh has the largest share, with 60,263 students and ₹916.64 crore. Karnataka follows with 26,164 students (₹157.37 crore) and Rajasthan with 23,467 (₹472.57 crore). West Bengal has 15,958, Madhya Pradesh 7,795 and Uttarakhand 6,554.
Other figures include Maharashtra (5,487), Kerala (5,393), Bihar (3,136), Chhattisgarh (2,531), Odisha (2,385) and Himachal Pradesh (2,219). Several smaller States and Union Territories recorded very low numbers: Sikkim had 1 student (₹0.018 crore), the Andaman and Nicobar Islands 2 (₹0.06 crore) and Puducherry 13 (₹0.25 crore).
The Government said it has taken targeted steps to widen the programme's reach, with a focus on rural, remote and aspirational districts. It shares information through State Education Departments, District Education Officers, schools and digital platforms, and runs awareness campaigns, webinars and workshops for teachers and school authorities to improve nominations. District, State and National Level Exhibition and Project Competitions identify and nurture ideas among school students. Mentorship with institutions such as IITs, NITs and IISERs guides selected students on prototypes, innovation and research.
The Government said a growing number of students from rural and remote districts have benefited, and that these measures have broadened the pipeline of young scientific talent.
It also listed schemes for research abroad. Under the INSPIRE-SHE Mentorship Grant, 271 scholars have completed summer research mentorship projects abroad. The Water Advanced Research and Innovation (WARI) Fellowship, implemented by DST with the Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF), lets young researchers do advanced water research at leading U.S. institutions. It has supported 63 participants, 43 interns and 20 fellows, across two phases.
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment's National Overseas Scholarship Scheme gives financial assistance to eligible persons with benchmark disabilities for Master's and Ph.D. programmes at foreign universities. In the last five years, 55 beneficiaries have pursued Ph.D. studies abroad under it.
With reference to the components of the INSPIRE Programme of the Department of Science and Technology, consider the following statements:
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Consider the following pairs:
Scheme / Component : Feature
How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
Consider the following States in terms of the number of students who have benefited under INSPIRE-SHE since inception:
Which one of the following sequences, from the highest to the lowest number of beneficiaries, is correct?
