Science students face uncertainty as flagship ₹80,000-a-year scholarship remains in limbo

HAs the section of scientific discipline and technology (DST) quiet shelved its flagship ₹80,000-a-year animate Scholarship for Higher training (INSPIRE-SHE)?Every year, around 12,000 INSPIRE-SHE scholarships of ₹80,000 annually are awarded to students between 17 and 22 pursuing undergraduate and postgraduate studies in basic and natural sciences. Eligible candidates include students who rank among the top 1% in their Class 12 board examinations or qualify for admission to top institutions through specified national-level entrance examinations such as the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE).READ ALSO | Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan orders probe into delay by NCERT in case against vendorThe cycle of applications begins every year around September – after college admissions and competitive exam results – and ends by October-November. Scrutiny of forms and documentation take up to March the next year and the final list is out by May-June. This means that a student applying in the 2024-25 cycle will only become part of the scholarship by 2025-26 – and be counted as a “fresh scholar” for 2025-26.No 2025 notificationEvery year since the 2009-10 cycle, DST invites applications through a notification. In 2023, this application came out on September 10 and in 2024, on September 1. But no notification was released in 2025. It has been 10 months since, without any official communication from DST.On the scholarship’s official website, the last announcement is for the 2024 batch applicants.The ministry of science and technology and the DST did not respond to HT’s queries seeking reasons for not issuing the 2025 notification, whether the scholarship has been discontinued, or whether a fresh cycle would be announced for future batches.Instead, students and former scholarship recipients say responses to RTI applications have left them confused.RTI replies leave students confusedPranit Sohane, a BSc student from Uttar Pradesh’s Hamirpur, filed an RTI application on March 18, 2026. On April 15, he received a reply from DST stating: “This is to inform you that the INSPIRE SHE-2025 advertisement will not be announced.” HT has seen the reply.ALSO READ | Websites selling databases of CUET candidates sparks privacy concernsThe same day, he filed a grievance regarding the “discontinuation of INSPIRE-SHE for 2025 and future batches” on the Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS). Despite seeking reasons through an appeal, he was again informed that the 2025 call for applications would not be announced, without any reason being cited. HT has seen the reply.“I enrolled in a BSc programme relying on INSPIRE-SHE and had not applied for other scholarships because I expected support under the scheme. I missed other merit-based scholarships because of uncertainty. It is becoming financially difficult for me to continue my studies,” Sohane told HTSohane is enrolled at the Hamirpur-based Swargiya Sundar Lal Shivhare Degree College, which is affiliated with Bundelkhand University, Jhansi. Sohane secured 87% in the 2025 Uttar Pradesh Board Class 12 examinations, exceeding the state’s 81% cut-off prescribed for students in the top 1% eligible for the INSPIRE-SHE scholarship.On April 22, in response to an RTI filed by Vansh Sharma, a YouTuber and former INSPIRE-SHE scholar, the DST again stated that “INSPIRE SHE-2025 advertisement will not be announced.” HT has seen the response.Sharma, who runs a YouTube channel on science scholarships, internships and opportunities, said students approached him after no notification appeared for the 2025 batch in September last year. “Students were worried and approached me to get an update from DST. I filed the RTI and got the response,” he said.ALSO READ | NCERT blacklists firm, skips court date to defend decision; Pradhan orders probeThe department reiterated the same position to IIT Kanpur’s Students’ Scholarship and Prizes Committee (SSPC) office after students approached the institute seeking clarity.Correspondence seen by HT shows that after a student wrote to the institute on May 23, the query was forwarded to the DST the same day. On June 16, the DST informed IIT Kanpur that “INSPIRE SHE-2025 advertisement will not be announced” and that any student lists submitted by institutions would not be considered for processing. The SSPC office subsequently forwarded the communication to students, saying any future updates from the DST would be shared.Avinav Alankar, students’ senate nominee to IIT Kanpur’s SSPC office, said neither the DST nor the institute had explained why the scholarship was being discontinued. “We are asking students to apply for donor scholarships and other scholarships wherever they are eligible,” he said.Existing scholars continue to receive benefitsEach selected student is eligible to receive the scholarship for up to five years, subject to satisfactory academic performance and continuation in an approved basic science programme. To be sure, existing INSPIRE-SHE scholars say they are getting their scholarships.“First, I got a scholarship in February 2023, then in December 2024, and then again in December 2025. I am fulfilling the criteria of minimum 70% marks in an academic year and my college administration has forwarded my documents to DST and I would be getting the scholarship again by December 2026,” said an IISER Bhopal student of 2022-23 batch, requesting anonymity.ALSO READ | Higher education enrolment hits 45 million, women gain ground in STEM: AISHE reportWider scholarship rejigThe development comes amid a wider rejig in India’s government scholarships. The National Talent Search Examination (NTSE)—which selects 2,000 Class 10 students annually for scholarships — is under a prolonged ‘comprehensive review’ since 2021. The Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY) was subsumed into INSPIRE-SHE in 2022.INSPIRE-SHE falls under DST’s Science and Technology Institutional and Human Capacity Building scheme. In 2024-25, the scheme’s allocation was reduced from ₹900 crore at the Budget Estimates (BE) stage to ₹543.91 crore at the Revised Estimates (RE) stage—a cut of nearly 39.6%—while actual expenditure stood at ₹542.38 crore. The scheme received no separate budgetary allocation in the 2025-26 and 2026-27 Union Budgets afterIn August 2024, INSPIRE-SHE’s parent scheme Science and Technology Institutional and Human Capacity Building scheme, along with two other umbrella schemes — Research and Development (R&D); and Innovation, Technology Development and Deployment — was merged into the Vigyan Dhara scheme, which came into effect in January 2025.Describing the merger as a “strategic integration,” the science ministry said in March 2025 that it would “enhance efficiency in fund utilisation” and “establish synchronization among the sub-schemes and programmes,” aimed at ensuring a more streamlined approach to scientific research and innovation.The ministry had described Vigyan Dharas as “a catalyst for India’s scientific progress” and said it would be “enhancing the country’s scientific research, innovation, and technological development ecosystem”.The Vigyan Dhara scheme was allocated ₹1,425 crore at the BE stage for 2025-26, which was later revised to ₹2,009.14 crore—an increase of about 41%—before being pegged back to ₹1,425 crore in the 2026-27 budget.Students, experts raise concernsSome students say the confusion is affecting their careers.Rishav Bhuin, a second-year BS-MS student at IISER Pune who qualified under the top 1% board examination criterion in 2025, said his education depended on the scholarship. “Living away from home comes with a lot of expenses. Because of our financial constraints, I have had to postpone buying a laptop or tablet, which is essential for coursework, coding and assignments,” he said.An IISER Tirupati student, Dhrubajyoti Mahata, said he had not applied for another government scholarship in 2025 because he expected to receive INSPIRE-SHE. “My family is financially weak and I have been waiting for almost a year. We have received no information. The government should either continue the scholarship or at least explain why it has been stopped,” he said.Anindita Bhadra, professor at IISER Kolkata, described the decision as “another disaster for higher education.” “Many students already struggle to pay their fees. If the scholarships stop completely, only well-off families will be able to send their children to the IISERs,” she said.Prof. V Ramgopal Rao, vice-chancellor of BITS Pilani and former director of IIT Delhi, said programmes such as KVPY and INSPIRE had been among India’s most effective mechanisms for identifying and nurturing scientific talent. “If India wants to become a global leader in science and technology, we cannot weaken the very pipeline that produces our future scientists. Investing in young scientific talent is one of the best investments any nation can make,” Rao said.