INSPIRE Awards conferred to 53,021 students across India

September 17, 2022

Union Minister of Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh has recently provided financial aid to around 53,000 students under the INSPIRE Scheme.

The Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) scheme has been implemented by Indian Government’s Department of Science and Technology (DST) to encourage people aging 10 to 32 years to pursue science and a career in research.
Its purpose is to attract talent to science at an early age and create the required resource pool for strengthening the science and technology system and research and development base in the country.
It has three components – Scheme for Early Attraction of Talent (SEATS), Scholarship for Higher Education (SHE) and Assured Opportunity for Research Careers (AORC).

The Indian Government confers INSPIRE Award – MANAK (Million Minds Augmenting National Aspiration and Knowledge) every year under the SEAT Program.
Under the INSPIRE AWARDS – MANAK Scheme, students across India are encouraged to send original and creative technological ideas or innovations that can solve common problems.
The chosen ideas will be provided with complete incubation support required to promote the entrepreneurial journey of students.
This scheme has attracted 6.53 Lakh ideas and innovations from across India in 2020-21 – the highest till date.
It represented ideas and innovations from 702 districts (96%) in India.
This includes 123 of the 124 aspirational districts, 51 per cent representation from girls, 84 per cent from schools in rural regions and 71 per cent of schools run by state/UT governments.
Of the 6.53 lakh students, 53,021 students have been provided with the financial support of Rs.10,000 to help them develop prototypes for the ideas they submitted.