Lok Sabha Question No. 3125 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-08-06
Subject: Financial Assistance to Unemployed Women Scientist
Ministry: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Manoj Rajoria

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 3125 TO BE ANSWERED ON 06/08/2021

## FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO UNEMPLOYED WOMEN SCIENTIST † 3125.  DR. MANOJ RAJORIA:

Will  the  Minister  of  SCIENCE  AND  TECHNOLOGY ǒव£ान और Ĥौƭोिगकȧ मंğी be pleased to state:

- (a)           the  assistance  being  provided  by  the  Government  to  unemployed  women scientists to make a career in the field of science and technology under the 'Women Scientist Scheme';
- (b)          the number of beneficiaries benefitted by this scheme so far, State/UT-wise;
- and
- (c)          the budgetary provision made in the present budget for this scheme?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND EARTH SCIENCES

(DR. JITENDRA SINGH)

ǒव£ान और Ĥौƭोिगकȧ तथा पृØवी ǒव£ान क े राÏय मंğी ( èवतंğ Ĥभार) (डॉ . ǔजतɅġ िसंह)

- (a)   The  'Women Scientist Scheme' of the Department of Science and Technology provides various opportunities to unemployed women scientists and technologists, especially those who had break in career, to make a career in the field of Science and  Technology.  There  are  three  major  components  of  Women  Scientist  Scheme namely, i) Women Scientists Scheme-A (WOS-A) for conducting research in Basic & Applied Sciences, ii) Women Scientists Scheme-B (WOS-B) for S&T interventions for Societal Benefit and iii) Women Scientists Scheme-C (WOS-C) that enables them to become Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) professional.

In WOS-A and WOS-B, the age limit is 27-57 years and fellowship amount for M.Sc, M.Phil/M.Tech and Ph.D categories is Rs. 31,000/-, Rs. 40,000/- and Rs. 55,000/per month respectively and House Rent Allowance (HRA) as per Government of India norms. The total project cost, for 3 years' duration under these three categories, is Rs.  20  lakh,  Rs.  25  lakh  and  Rs.  30  lakh  respectively  excluding  overheads  and HRA.  However, in WOS-C, women scientists of age group 27-45 years are eligible to apply. The fellowship in WOS-C for M.Sc, M.Phil/M.Tech and Ph.D categories is Rs.

25,000/-, Rs. 30,000/- and Rs. 35,000/- per month respectively.

- (b)   Around  1000  women  scientists  have  benefitted  in  last  3  years  under  the  3 components of Women Scientists Scheme.

| State/Union Territory   |   2018-19 |   2019-20 |   2020-21 |
|-------------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| Andhra Pradesh          |         8 |        12 |         2 |
| Assam                   |        10 |         7 |         2 |
| Bihar                   |         7 |         3 |         0 |
| Chandigarh              |         7 |         7 |         1 |
| Chhattisgarh            |         4 |         5 |         0 |
| Delhi                   |        55 |        36 |         9 |
| Goa                     |         2 |         1 |         0 |
| Gujarat                 |        11 |        15 |         2 |
| Haryana                 |        11 |         8 |         1 |
| Himachal Pradesh        |        10 |         2 |         1 |
| Jammu & Kashmir         |         3 |        13 |         2 |
| Jharkhand               |         2 |         8 |         0 |
| Karnataka               |        37 |        30 |        14 |
| Kerala                  |        27 |        21 |         3 |
| Madhya Pradesh          |        15 |        10 |         1 |
| Maharashtra             |        62 |        44 |        23 |
| Manipur                 |         2 |         2 |         2 |
| Meghalaya               |         1 |         1 |         0 |
| Mizoram                 |         1 |         0 |         0 |
| Nagaland                |         1 |         2 |         0 |
| Odisha                  |        15 |         6 |         2 |
| Puducherry              |         1 |         3 |         1 |
| Punjab                  |        14 |        12 |         2 |
| Rajasthan               |        10 |        10 |         2 |
| Tamil Nadu              |        54 |        42 |         8 |
| Telangana               |        32 |        12 |        11 |
| Tripura                 |         0 |         1 |         0 |
| Uttar Pradesh           |        53 |        45 |         7 |
| Uttarakhand             |        12 |         6 |         5 |
| West Bengal             |        37 |        30 |         6 |
| Total                   |       504 |       394 |       107 |

(c)   The  budgetary  allocation  of  major  umbrella  scheme  'Women  in  Science  and Engineering-KIRAN (WISE-KIRAN)' is Rs. 100 crore for the year 2021-22 which also covers Women Scientists Scheme along with other programmes.

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