PARLIAMENT QUESTION: INSPIRE SCHEME

Ministry of Science & Technology

PARLIAMENT QUESTION: INSPIRE SCHEME

Posted On: 01 APR 2026 3:31PM by PIB Delhi The Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) Scheme of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India is a national 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:

State INSPIRE-MANAK INSPIRE-SHE INSPIRE-Fellowship INSPIRE-Fa & UTs Fellowsh 2023-24 2024- 2025- 2023- 2024- 2025- 2023- 2024- 2025- 2023- 2024- 2025 25 26 24 25 26 24 25 26 24 25 26 Andaman 8 20 19 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 and Nicobar Andhra 4530 3693 3424 0 2 0 35 7 22 1 0 PradeshState INSPIRE-MANAK INSPIRE-SHE INSPIRE-Fellowship INSPIRE-Fa & UTs Fellowsh Arunachal 5 16 5 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 0 Pradesh Assam 212 100 48 51 48 22 43 11 42 2 3 Bihar 2076 1988 2041 125 137 195 4 1 10 2 0 Chandigarh 163 69 61 5 1 1 15 4 12 0 0 Chhattisgarh 3157 2962 2165 271 365 256 10 7 11 2 0 Dadra Nagar 24 20 26 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Haveli Delhi 119 248 321 40 49 38 48 26 69 7 8 Goa 63 56 53 1 3 1 14 4 16 3 0 Gujarat 1109 1282 1244 61 62 20 26 12 28 2 0 Haryana 716 814 1249 54 37 32 11 8 11 2 0 Himachal 437 498 513 115 105 77 10 8 12 1 1 Pradesh Jammu and 942 992 1033 28 2 1 25 6 33 2 2 Kashmir Jharkhand 1937 1817 1160 20 16 3 11 4 4 3 3 Karnataka 7493 6264 7758 23 16 7 46 26 79 14 11 Kerala 479 315 339 294 299 130 45 17 48 4 2 Ladakh 25 21 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Lakshadweep 5 5 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Madhya 1506 2672 1421 400 464 596 30 10 48 3 2 PradeshState INSPIRE-MANAK INSPIRE-SHE INSPIRE-Fellowship INSPIRE-Fa & UTs Fellowsh Maharashtra 2149 2581 2303 142 120 38 61 17 57 8 7 Manipur 3 8 5 70 83 56 2 2 0 0 1 Meghalaya 8 21 11 26 33 12 2 1 4 0 0 Mizoram 5 7 7 0 12 3 4 2 4 0 0 Nagaland 3 5 2 7 6 6 1 1 0 0 0 Odisha 3823 3409 3755 57 46 46 28 6 34 3 2 Puducherry 35 77 71 1 2 0 2 3 2 0 0 Punjab 566 421 345 49 38 43 33 14 40 2 4 Rajasthan 6830 6599 5720 1992 2155 1541 14 1 25 4 0 Sikkim 15 28 28 0 0 0 2 2 3 0 0 Tamil Nadu 991 1197 2336 16 9 7 63 39 65 5 5 Telangana 3054 3311 2557 4 24 10 55 16 56 6 1 Tripura 23 66 97 0 1 0 3 0 6 0 0 Uttar Pradesh 1940 5834 7173 3297 4812 5474 56 18 64 11 2 Uttarakhand 2140 1844 1386 290 331 248 20 10 30 3 0 West Bengal 27 18 31 537 216 182 76 20 87 10 4 Kendriya 247 521 898 - - - - - - - - Vidyalaya Sangathan Navodaya 61 210 183 - - - - - - - - Vidyalaya SamitiThe 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 Sabha 149 116 72 0 0 0 Constituency, Odisha Bulandshahr district (UP) 20 110 140 13 14 7 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.

The number of students, schools and districts covered across the country under the INSPIRE-MANAK

scheme are given below:

Financial Year No. of students participated No. of schools participated No. of districts covered 2023-24 854553 224283 719 2024-25 1013229 253459 723 2025-26 1147343 274528 729 The number of schools and districts covered under the INSPIRE-MANAK in Andhra Pradesh including

Palnadu district are given below:

Financial No. of students No. of schools Districts No. of students No. of schools Year participated participated Covered participated from participated from Palnadu district Palnadu district 2023-24 40365 9259 26 1224 266 2024-25 39444 9084 26 1357 3032025-26 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 Manyam 61 65 89 Prakasam 141 130 123District 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26 Srikakulam 265 167 197 Sri Sathya Sai 122 71 90 Tirupati 304 214 200 Visakhapatnam 173 107 93 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 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.This information was given by the Minister of State (Independent charge) for the Ministry of Science and Technology & Earth Sciences Dr. Jitendra Singh in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.

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