Lok Sabha Question No. 2896 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-06
Subject: Visvesvaraya PhD Scheme
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Shri Sribharat Mathukumilli

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2896

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 06.08.2025

## VISVESVARAYA PHD SCHEME

## 2896.  SHRI SRIBHARAT MATHUKUMILLI:

Will the Minister of ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:

- (a) the total number of PhD fellowships awarded under the Visvesvaraya PhD Scheme since its inception year and State-wise including Andhra Pradesh;
- (b) the details of funds allocated and utilised under the said scheme during the last five years along with infrastructure support, research grants and stipends provided to scholars;
- (c) the details of institutions and research centres that have benefited from the scheme along with the disciplinary focus areas and key research projects undertaken;
- (d) the details of employment and research outcomes of PhD scholars supported under the said scheme including their placement in academia, industry and Government institutions; and
- (e)  whether  the  Government  has  any  plans  to  extend  or  expand  the  said  scheme  including increasing funding, coverage or special incentives for emerging research areas and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA)

(a) to (e): The Government is focused on creating talent and capabilities for the entire technology sector  including  emerging  areas  such  as  Semiconductors,  AI,  High  Performance  Computing, Electronics Systems, etc. by its various programmes/schemes. The Visvesvaraya PhD Scheme is an important part of this ecosystem.

The Visvesvaraya PhD Scheme was initiated by the Government with an objective of enhancing the number of PhDs in the country to compete globally in the knowledge intensive sectors of Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) and IT/IT Enabled Services (IT/ITES). Under the scheme, financial support is provided to PhD scholars and Young Faculty who are undertaking research and technology development. The scheme also provides research infrastructure support to the institutions. The scheme is being implemented in two phases.

The Phase-I of the Scheme was initiated in 2014 for the duration of 9 years with the total outlay of ₹ 466.00 crore. A total of 1,075 PhD fellowships were awarded across the country. State -wise distribution of the PhD Fellowships is provided at Annexure-I

The Phase-II of the Scheme has been initiated in 2021 for the duration of 9 years with the total outlay of ₹ 481.93 crore.  A total of 561 PhD fellowships has been awarded till date. State-wise distribution of the PhD Fellowships is provided at Annexure-II.

The year-wise details of funds under both phases, across various budget heads are available on the scheme portal: https://phd.dic.gov.in/finance-details.

The scheme has supported 171 institutions across the country, including those in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.  These  institutions  span  a  wide  spectrum  IITs,  NITs,  IISc,  IISERs,  Central  Universities, Deemed Universities under Central Government, Institutions of national importance, Universities created under Provincial Act or State Act, Private Universities, Private Deemed Universities and Colleges that are allowed to offer PhD.

The PhD scholars under the scheme are pursuing research in emerging technology areas such as Image Processing, Digital Signal Processing, Pattern Recognition, 3D Printing, 5G Communication,  Artificial  Intelligence,  Big  Data,  Blockchain,  Distributed  Computing,  Cyber Security,  Green  and  Sustainable  ICT,  Quantum  Computing,  Quantum  Communication,  and Semiconductor Design. The scheme has led to significant research output with 4,063 research papers  published  and  90  patents  filed,  including  20  granted  patents.  Scholars  have  found placements  in  academia,  industry  and  government  institutions,  contributing  to  the  country's innovation ecosystem.

To further boost research in emerging technologies, the scheme also includes provisions for Young Faculty  Research  Fellowships,  enabling  young  faculty  at  the  academic  institutions  to  pursue research in emerging technology areas.

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## Annexure-I

## State-wise Number of PhD Fellowships under Visvesvaraya PhD scheme in Phase-I

| S. N.   | States/Union Territories   |   No. of PhD Fellowships |
|---------|----------------------------|--------------------------|
| 1       | Andhra Pradesh             |                       10 |
| 2       | Arunachal Pradesh          |                       11 |
| 3       | Assam                      |                       49 |
| 4       | Bihar                      |                       54 |
| 5       | Chandigarh                 |                       11 |
| 6       | Delhi                      |                      136 |
| 7       | Goa                        |                       13 |
| 8       | Gujarat                    |                       25 |
| 9       | Haryana                    |                        8 |
| 10      | Himachal Pradesh           |                       27 |
| 11      | Jammu and Kashmir          |                        5 |
| 12      | Jharkhand                  |                        3 |
| 13      | Karnataka                  |                       97 |
| 14      | Kerala                     |                        9 |
| 15      | Madhya Pradesh             |                       43 |
| 16      | Maharashtra                |                       84 |
| 17      | Meghalaya                  |                       12 |
| 18      | Mizoram                    |                        0 |
| 19      | Odisha                     |                       11 |
| 20      | Puducherry                 |                        8 |
| 21      | Punjab                     |                       34 |
| 22      | Rajasthan                  |                       37 |
| 23      | Sikkim                     |                        5 |
| 24      | Tamil Nadu                 |                      100 |
| 25      | Telangana                  |                       80 |
| 26      | Tripura                    |                        3 |
| 27      | Uttar Pradesh              |                       83 |
| 28      | Uttarakhand                |                       21 |
| 29      | West Bengal                |                       96 |
|         | Total                      |                     1075 |

## Annexure-II

## State-wise Number of PhD Fellowships under Visvesvaraya PhD scheme in Phase-II

| S.N.   | States/Union Territories   |   No of Fellowships |
|--------|----------------------------|---------------------|
| 1      | Andhra Pradesh             |                  16 |
| 2      | Arunachal Pradesh          |                  10 |
| 3      | Assam                      |                  18 |
| 4      | Bihar                      |                   9 |
| 5      | Chandigarh                 |                   8 |
| 6      | Chhattisgarh               |                  11 |
| 7      | Delhi                      |                  46 |
| 8      | Goa                        |                   6 |
| 9      | Gujarat                    |                  22 |
| 10     | Haryana                    |                  19 |
| 11     | Himachal Pradesh           |                  11 |
| 12     | Jammu &Kashmir             |                  14 |
| 13     | Jharkhand                  |                  13 |
| 14     | Karnataka                  |                  29 |
| 15     | Kerala                     |                  26 |
| 16     | Madhya Pradesh             |                  39 |
| 17     | Maharashtra                |                  20 |
| 18     | Manipur                    |                   8 |
| 19     | Meghalaya                  |                  11 |
| 20     | Mizoram                    |                   6 |
| 21     | Odisha                     |                  20 |
| 22     | Puducherry                 |                  10 |
| 23     | Punjab                     |                  40 |
| 24     | Rajasthan                  |                  22 |
| 25     | Sikkim                     |                   2 |
| 26     | Tamil Nadu                 |                  38 |
| 27     | Telangana                  |                  14 |
| 28     | Tripura                    |                   5 |
| 29     | Uttar Pradesh              |                  32 |
| 30     | Uttarakhand                |                  13 |
| 31     | West Bengal                |                  23 |
|        | Total                      |                 561 |

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