**Executive Summary**
This document is the response from the Minister of State of the Ministry of AYUSH to an unstarred question regarding scholarships for the promotion of Ayurveda, to be answered on February 13th, 2026. The Ministry currently does not provide direct monthly scholarships, but supports Ayurveda through the National AYUSH Mission (NAM) and capacity-building initiatives. The Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) runs the Studentship Program for Ayurveda Research Ken (SPARK) to promote undergraduate research.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Monthly Scholarships**
* The Ministry of AYUSH does not provide monthly scholarships to encourage students to promote Ayurveda.
* **National AYUSH Mission (NAM)**
* The Ministry implements NAM through State/UT Governments for the development and promotion of the AYUSH system.
* Financial assistance is provided to State/UT Governments as per proposals received in their State Annual Action Plans (SAAPs).
* State/UT Governments can avail financial assistance by submitting SAAPs according to NAM guidelines.
* **Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) Initiatives**
* CCRAS implements capacity-building initiatives for research in Ayurveda:
* Studentship Program for Ayurveda Research Ken (SPARK) for undergraduates.
* Scheme for Training in Ayurveda Research for Post Graduate Scholars (PG STAR).
* Fellowship programs (PhD and Post-Doctoral Fellowships [PDF]) for advanced research.
* **Financial Support Opportunities**
* The North-Eastern Institute of Ayurveda & Homoeopathy (NEIAH) encourages applications for financial support through the National Scholarship Portal under various state schemes.
* **Studentship Program for Ayurveda Research Ken (SPARK)**
* CCRAS initiated SPARK to promote interest and aptitude for research among undergraduate Ayurveda students.
* The program offers opportunities for undergraduates to familiarize themselves with research methodology and techniques through short-duration projects.
* SPARK aims to inculcate research aptitude and incentivize students to pursue research careers.
* The state-wise list of Ayurveda colleges benefitted under SPARK is attached in Annexure-I.
* **Annexure-I**
* State-wise list of Ayurveda Colleges benefitted under SPARK during (2022-2023, 2023-2024 & 2024-2025)
* Lists each state alongside the numbers of colleges benefitted under SPRAK 1.0, SPRAK 2.0 and SPRAK 3.0.
* Total colleges benefitted under each SPRAK stage: 56 (SPRAK 1.0), 90 (SPRAK 2.0) and 143 (SPRAK 3.0)
* Total Number of SPARK Awardees in SPARK -1, 2 and 3 are 95, 198 and 298 respectively.
**Impact Analysis**
**State/UT Governments**
* **Impact**
* They are the key implementers of the National AYUSH Mission and can receive financial assistance.
* **Action Required**
* Submit proposals through State Annual Action Plans (SAAPs) according to NAM guidelines to avail financial assistance.
**Ayurveda Students (Undergraduate, Postgraduate, and Doctoral)**
* **Impact**
* They can benefit from capacity-building initiatives like SPARK, PG STAR, and fellowship programs.
* **Action Required**
* Undergraduates should consider participating in SPARK.
* Postgraduate and doctoral students should explore fellowship programs and research opportunities.
* Students attending NEIAH should apply for financial support through the National Scholarship Portal.
**Ayurveda Colleges**
* **Impact**
* Colleges could benefit from SPARK awards as exemplified in Annexure-I
* **Action Required**
* Colleges should encourage the participation of students within their institutions in SPARK
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of AYUSH: The central ministry responsible for the development and promotion of Ayurveda and other Indian systems of medicine.
National Ayush Mission (NAM): A centrally sponsored scheme to promote the Ayush system through State/UT Governments by providing financial assistance based on State Annual Action Plans (SAAPs).
Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS): An autonomous organization under the Ministry of AYUSH that undertakes capacity building initiatives for research in Ayurveda.
Studentship Program for Ayurveda Research Ken (SPARK): An initiative by CCRAS to promote interest and aptitude for research among undergraduate Ayurveda students.
Scheme for Training in Ayurveda Research for Post Graduate Scholars (PG STAR): A CCRAS initiative to provide training in Ayurveda research for postgraduate students
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF AYUSH
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2522
TO BE ANSWERED ON 13th FEBRUARY, 2026
“Scholarships for Promotion of Ayurveda”
† 2522. Shri Haribhai Patel:
Will the Minister of AYUSH be pleased to state:
(a) whether the Government provides any monthly scholarship to encourage students to
promote Ayurveda in the country and if so, the details thereof;
(b) whether the data with regard to Ayurveda institutions has been collected in the States
selected by the Government, if so, the details thereof, State-wise;
(c) whether the Government has data with regard to the students who are being provided such
scholarships;
(d) if so, the details thereof, State/UT-wise; and
(e) whether SPARC programme is also being run by the Government and if so, the details
thereof along with the main objective of the said programme?
ANSW ER
THE MINISTER OF STATE (IC) OF THE MINISTRY OF AYUSH
(SHRI PRATAPRAO JADHAV)
(a) to (d) At present, Ministry of Ayush is not providing such monthly scholarship to encourage
students to promote Ayurveda in the country. However, the Ministry is implementing the
Centrally Sponsored Scheme of National Ayush Mission (NAM) through State/UT
Governments for development & promotion of Ayush System in the country and providing
financial assistance to them as per the proposal received in their State Annual Action Plans
(SAAPs). State/UT Governments may avail financial assistance by submitting proposals
through State Annual Action Plans (SAAPs) as per NAM guidelines.
Further, Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) implements
several capacity-building initiatives for research in Ayurveda, such as Studentship Program for
Ayurveda Research Ken (SPARK) for undergraduate students and Scheme for Training in
Ayurveda Research for Post Graduate Scholars (PG STAR) for postgraduate students. In
addition, fellowship programs, including PhD and Post-Doctoral Fellowships (PDF) are
coordinated to provide sustained support for advanced research. North-Eastern Institute of
Ayurveda & Homoeopathy (NEIAH) also encourages to apply for financial support through
National Scholarship Portal under various schemes of the respective states.
(e) The Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) has initiated the
Studentship Program for Ayurveda Research Ken (SPARK) to promote interest and aptitude
for research among Ayurveda undergraduates. The main objective of this program is to provide
an opportunity to undergraduate Ayurveda students to familiarize themselves with research
methodology and techniques undertaking short-duration independent projects. This may
inculcate research aptitude among them and also serve as an incentive for them to take up
research as a career in the future. The State-wise list of Ayurveda Colleges benefitted under
SPARK is attached at Annexure-I.
****
Page 1 of 2Annexure-I
State-wise list of Ayurveda Colleges benefitted under SPARK during (2022-2023, 2023-
2024 & 2024-2025)
Sl. No. Name of the states No. of Ayurveda No. of Ayurveda No. of Ayurveda
Colleges Colleges benefitted Colleges
benefitted under under SPRAK – 2.0 benefitted under
SPRAK – 1.0 (2023-2024) SPRAK – 3.0
(2022-2023) (2024-2025)
1. Andhra Pradesh 01 01 01
2. Chhattisgarh 01 01 03
3. Gujarat 06 08 16
4. Haryana 03 01 05
5. Karnataka 14 26 38
6. Kerala 07 07 09
7. Madhya Pradesh 04 06 09
8. Maharashtra 06 17 23
9. Meghalaya 01 01 01
10. New Delhi 01 02 02
11. Odisha 02 03 02
12. Puducherry 01 01 01
13. Punjab 02 01 03
14. Rajasthan 01 03 04
15. Tamil Nadu 01 02 03
16. Telangana 01 - 01
17. Uttar Pradesh 02 05 15
18. Uttarakhand 01 03 05
19. West Bengal 01 01 01
20. Goa - 01 01
Total 56 90 143
Note: - Total Number of SPARK Awardees in SPARK -1, 2 and 3 are 95, 198 and 298
respectively.
***
Page 2 of 2