Bengaluru: The Department of Science and Technology on Thursday clarified before Parliament that it had not discontinued its flagship INSPIRE-SHE scholarship programme but had only temporarily halted it for a redesign.
In a written reply to a question raised in Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of Science and Technology Jitendra Singh said that the scheme was “presently under redesign to further strengthen its objectives, improve its implementation framework, and align it with emerging priorities in science education and research.”
The INSPIRE-SHE scheme by the DST was launched in 2008 with an aim to attract students to science education at an early age. The scheme offers young students in the age group of 17 to 22 years scholarships and mentorships for undertaking science in higher education. The government offers about 10,000 scholarships every year, and the main feature of the scheme is the mentorship support provided to every scholar.
In his response, Singh said that since the inception of the scheme, a total of Rs 2,784.15 crore have been disbursed in scholarships and 1,36,298 students have benefitted across 33 states and Union Territories. The most scholarships have been awarded in Uttar Pradesh, where nearly 60,263 students received the INSPIRE-SHE scholarships, followed by 26,164 from Karnataka, and 23,467 from Rajasthan.
“The government supports Indian students pursuing scientific research abroad through several scholarship schemes,” the reply read. “Under the INSPIRE-SHE Mentorship Grant of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), 271 scholars have successfully completed summer research mentorship project abroad so far.”
The response said, “The Water Advanced Research and Innovation (WARI) Fellowship, implemented by DST in collaboration with the Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF), enables young researchers to undertake advanced water research at leading U.S. institutions, with 63 participants (43 interns and 20 fellows) supported across two phases.”
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)