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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5991
ANSWERED ON 01/04/2026
INSPIRE SCHEME
5991. SHRI LAVU SRI KRISHNA DEVARAYALU:
SHRI ANURAG SHARMA:
SHRI BALABHADRA MAJHI:
SMT. SHOBHANABEN MAHENDRASINH BARAIYA:
SHRI ANUP SANJAY DHOTRE:
DR. BHOLA SINGH:
SHRI KRISHNA PRASAD TENNETI:
SMT. MAHIMA KUMARI MEWAR:
Will the Minister of SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:
(a) the number of students supported under various components of the
Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) Scheme during
the last three years, State/UT-wise, particularly in Andhra Pradesh including
Palnadu district, Odisha including Nabarangpur Lok Sabha Constituency and
Bulandshahr district and including Rajasthan;
(b) whether the Government has expanded the programme to encourage
innovation and research among school students through initiatives such as
INSPIRE-MANAK and if so, the details thereof;
(c) the number of schools and districts covered under the Scheme so far
including those in Andhra Pradesh and Palnadu district and those located in
Nabarangpur Lok Sabha Constituency;
(d) the number of students selected or benefited under INSPIRE-MANAK
from Andhra Pradesh, district-wise; and
(e) the steps taken by the Government to increase participation of students
from rural areas and under-represented groups particularly from districts such
as Palnadu of Andhra Pradesh and Nabarangpur Lok Sabha Constituency of
Odisha in scientific research and innovation programmes?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE
MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND EARTH SCIENCES
(DR. JITENDRA SINGH)
(a) The Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) Scheme
of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India is a
Page 1 of 6national initiative aimed at attracting talented youth to study basic and natural
sciences and pursue research careers in areas such as engineering, medicine,
agriculture, and veterinary sciences, thereby strengthening the country’s research
and development base. The scheme operates through multiple components across
different educational stages. INSPIRE-MANAK (Million Minds Augmenting National
Aspiration and Knowledge) targets students aged 10-17 studying in Classes VI–XII
by encouraging innovative ideas and scientific curiosity; schools can nominate up
to five students annually through the E-MIAS portal, and selected students receive
₹10,000 through Direct Benefit Transfer to develop and present their projects at
district, state, and national exhibitions. Scholarship for Higher Education (SHE)
supports talented students aged 17-22 with 12,000 scholarships each year worth
₹80,000 per annum to pursue bachelor’s and master’s degrees in basic and natural
sciences along with mentoring opportunities. At the research level, the INSPIRE
Fellowship supports outstanding students pursuing PhD programs for up to five
years with fellowships equivalent to CSIR-UGC NET (₹37,000 per month as JRF and
₹42,000 as SRF plus HRA and contingency grant of ₹20,000 per annum).
Additionally, the INSPIRE Faculty Fellowship offers early-career post-doctoral
researchers aged 27–32 a five-year fellowship with ₹1,25,000 per month, annual
increments, and a research grant of ₹35 lakh to establish independent research
careers in basic and applied sciences. Together, these components create a
continuous pipeline to nurture scientific talent from school level to advanced
research. The number of students supported under various components of the
Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) Scheme during the
last three years, State/UT-wise, particularly in Andhra Pradesh including Palnadu
district, Odisha including Nabarangpur Lok Sabha Constituency, Uttar Pradesh
including Bulandshahr district and including Rajasthan are given below:
INSPIRE-MANAK INSPIRE-SHE INSPIRE-Fellowship INSPIRE-Faculty
Fellowship
State & UTs
2023- 2024- 2025- 2023- 2024- 2025- 2023- 2024- 2025- 2023-2024-2025-
24 25 26 24 25 26 24 25 26 24 25 26
Andaman and 8 20 19 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Nicobar
Andhra 4530 3693 3424 0 2 0 35 7 22 1 0 6
Pradesh
Arunachal 5 16 5 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 0 0
Pradesh
Assam 212 100 48 51 48 22 43 11 42 2 3 4
Bihar 2076 1988 2041 125 137 195 4 1 10 2 0 1
Chandigarh 163 69 61 5 1 1 15 4 12 0 0 0
Chhattisgarh 3157 2962 2165 271 365 256 10 7 11 2 0 1
Page 2 of 6INSPIRE-MANAK INSPIRE-SHE INSPIRE-Fellowship INSPIRE-Faculty
Fellowship
State & UTs
2023- 2024- 2025- 2023- 2024- 2025- 2023- 2024- 2025- 2023-2024-2025-
24 25 26 24 25 26 24 25 26 24 25 26
Dadra Nagar 24 20 26 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
Haveli
Delhi 119 248 321 40 49 38 48 26 69 7 8 12
Goa 63 56 53 1 3 1 14 4 16 3 0 1
Gujarat 1109 1282 1244 61 62 20 26 12 28 2 0 7
Haryana 716 814 1249 54 37 32 11 8 11 2 0 3
Himachal 437 498 513 115 105 77 10 8 12 1 1 0
Pradesh
Jammu and 942 992 1033 28 2 1 25 6 33 2 2 6
Kashmir
Jharkhand 1937 1817 1160 20 16 3 11 4 4 3 3 4
Karnataka 7493 6264 7758 23 16 7 46 26 79 14 11 30
Kerala 479 315 339 294 299 130 45 17 48 4 2 3
Ladakh 25 21 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Lakshadweep 5 5 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Madhya 1506 2672 1421 400 464 596 30 10 48 3 2 3
Pradesh
Maharashtra 2149 2581 2303 142 120 38 61 17 57 8 7 15
Manipur 3 8 5 70 83 56 2 2 0 0 1 0
Meghalaya 8 21 11 26 33 12 2 1 4 0 0 1
Mizoram 5 7 7 0 12 3 4 2 4 0 0 0
Nagaland 3 5 2 7 6 6 1 1 0 0 0 0
Odisha 3823 3409 3755 57 46 46 28 6 34 3 2 2
Puducherry 35 77 71 1 2 0 2 3 2 0 0 0
Punjab 566 421 345 49 38 43 33 14 40 2 4 5
Rajasthan 6830 6599 5720 1992 2155 1541 14 1 25 4 0 4
Sikkim 15 28 28 0 0 0 2 2 3 0 0 1
Tamil Nadu 991 1197 2336 16 9 7 63 39 65 5 5 9
Telangana 3054 3311 2557 4 24 10 55 16 56 6 1 9
Tripura 23 66 97 0 1 0 3 0 6 0 0 0
Uttar Pradesh 1940 5834 7173 3297 4812 5474 56 18 64 11 2 15
Uttarakhand 2140 1844 1386 290 331 248 20 10 30 3 0 1
West Bengal 27 18 31 537 216 182 76 20 87 10 4 28
Kendriya 247 521 898 - - - - - - - - -
Vidyalaya
Sangathan
Page 3 of 6INSPIRE-MANAK INSPIRE-SHE INSPIRE-Fellowship INSPIRE-Faculty
Fellowship
State & UTs
2023- 2024- 2025- 2023- 2024- 2025- 2023- 2024- 2025- 2023-2024-2025-
24 25 26 24 25 26 24 25 26 24 25 26
Navodaya 61 210 183 - - - - - - - - -
Vidyalaya
Samiti
The details of number of students supported under INSPIRE-MANAK and
INSPIRE-SHE components of INSPIRE Scheme from Palnadu district of Andhra
Pradesh, Nabarangpur Lok Sabha Constituency of Odisha and Bulandshahr
district of Uttar Pradesh are given below:
INSPIRE-MANAK INSPIRE-SHE
State & UTs 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26
Palnadu district (AP) 111 139 163 0 0 0
Nabarangpur Lok 149 116 72 0 0 0
Sabha Constituency,
Odisha
Bulandshahr district 20 110 140 13 14 7
(UP)
(b) The Ministry has expanded its efforts to promote innovation and
research among school students through initiatives like INSPIRE-MANAK. This
programme targets students from Classes 6 to 12, encouraging them to submit
original and creative ideas. Selected students receive financial assistance of
₹10,000 to develop prototypes of their ideas. The scheme has been broadened
to include a larger number of schools across the country, with a special focus
on rural and government institutions to ensure wider access. It provides a well-
structured platform where students can showcase their ideas at district,
state, and national levels. Additionally, mentoring support is offered
throughout the process to help nurture scientific thinking, creativity, and
problem-solving abilities among students.
(c) to (d): The number of students, schools and districts covered across the
country under the INSPIRE-MANAK scheme are given below:
Financial No. of students No. of schools No. of districts
Year participated participated covered
2023-24 854553 224283 719
2024-25 1013229 253459 723
2025-26 1147343 274528 729
Page 4 of 6The number of schools and districts covered under the INSPIRE-MANAK in
Andhra Pradesh including Palnadu district are given below:
Financial No. of No. of Districts No. of No. of schools
Year students schools Covered students participated
participated participated participated from Palnadu
from Palnadu district
district
2023-24 40365 9259 26 1224 266
2024-25 39444 9084 26 1357 303
2025-26 46285 10588 26 1821 417
The details of number of students selected or benefited under INSPIRE-MANAK
from Andhra Pradesh, district-wise including Palnadu district are given below:
District 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26
Alluri Sitarama Raju 27 23 14
Anakapalli 126 135 125
Ananthapuramu 141 114 131
Annamayya 294 238 276
Bapatla 81 90 76
Chittoor 407 313 263
East Godavari 137 108 81
Eluru 111 144 101
Guntur 131 88 121
Kakinada 148 116 107
Konaseema 104 77 90
Krishna 178 144 115
Kurnool 234 221 169
N.T.R 171 184 163
Nandyal 153 126 124
Nellore 260 264 174
Palnadu 111 139 163
Parvathipuram 61 65 89
Manyam
Prakasam 141 130 123
Srikakulam 265 167 197
Sri Sathya Sai 122 71 90
Tirupati 304 214 200
Visakhapatnam 173 107 93
Page 5 of 6District 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26
Vizianagaram 269 167 141
West Godavari 126 83 71
YSR 255 165 127
The details of number of schools and districts covered under INSPIRE-MANAK
from the Nabarangpur Lok Sabha Constituency, Odisha are given below:
Financial Year No. of students participated No. of schools participated
2023-24 2511 711
2024-25 2125 555
2025-26 1564 386
(e) The Ministry has implemented several targeted measures to increase
the participation of students from rural areas and under-represented groups in
scientific research programmes such as INSPIRE-MANAK. To expand
outreach, awareness meetings are regularly conducted with State and District
Nodal Officers, along with teacher training workshops to sensitize and
encourage schools to participate. A comprehensive multimedia campaign
using videos, posters, social media, and email communication has also been
launched to reach a wider audience, particularly in remote areas. These
efforts have led to a steady rise in participation, with notable growth from rural
regions. In addition to outreach, the Ministry has strengthened support
mechanisms for selected students. Each shortlisted student receives ₹10,000
to develop a prototype of their idea. They are also provided access to
mentoring and technical support through Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs). Student’s
progress through structured district, state, and national-level competitions,
ensuring continued engagement and exposure. Further, mentoring workshops
are organized in collaboration with premier institutions such as IITs and NITs
for students selected at advanced stages. State-level winners receive
financial assistance to refine their prototypes for national-level presentation.
At the national level, students are supported with incubation facilities,
including patent filing assistance and technical guidance, enabling them to
transform their ideas into scalable and socially relevant innovations.
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