Lok Sabha Question No. 2010 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-11
Subject: S&T related Schemes and Employment/Self-Employment Ventures
Ministry: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Smt. Delkar Kalaben Mohanbhai

## MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2010 ANSWERED ON 11/02/2026

## S&T RELATED SCHEMES AND EMPLOYMENT/SELF-EMPLOYMENT VENTURES

## †2010.  SMT. DELKAR KALABEN MOHANBHAI:

Will the Minister of SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:

- (a) the  details  of  the  science  and  technology-related  schemes being implemented in various parts of the country particularly in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli;
- (b) the number of persons who have benefited from these schemes during the last  two years in  the  Union  Territory  of  Dadra  and  Nagar Haveli including the number of women beneficiaries and the number of persons who have been assisted in starting their own employment/selfemployment ventures, scheme-wise;
- (c)
- the State and district-wise details in this regard;
- (d) the  positive  steps  taken  or  proposed  to  be  taken  by  the Government to ensure smooth implementation of these schemes and to extend their reach to people in rural areas across the country so that the benefits of these schemes reach all sections of society; and
- (e) the  details  of  steps  taken  by  the  Government  so  far  in  this regard?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND EARTH SCIENCES (DR. JITENDRA SINGH)

- (a) The  Ministry  of  Science  and  Technology  is  implementing various Central Sector schemes across the country with the objective of promoting research and development (R&D), innovation, entrepreneurship, technology dissemination, and inclusive socioeconomic development.

These  schemes  are  implemented  through  a  competitive,  proposalbased mechanism, and do not have State or district-wise  budgetary allocations. Institutions, researchers, startups and innovators across all States and Union Territories, including Dadra and Nagar Haveli, are eligible  to  apply  as  per  the  prescribed  guidelines  of  the  schemes. Following are the major schemes being implemented.

The Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Scheme is operational under the Department of Science & Technology (DST),with an objective to enhance private sector participation in R&D. The scheme supports low-interest &long-term financing in high-risk, high-impact  R&D projects  and  startups.  The  Scheme  covers  sunrise  sectors  such  as energy  security  and  climate  action;  deep  technologies  such  as quantum,  robotics and  space; artificial intelligence applications; biotechnology  and  biomanufacturing;  pharmaceuticals  and  medical devices; digital economy, and other technologies critical for strategic and economic security of the country.

DST,  under  the  National  Quantum  Mission  (NQM)  has  supported  the development of indigenous capabilities in quantum computing, quantum  communication,  quantum  sensing,  and  quantum  materials, along with the creation of an ecosystem with strong R&D and skilled manpower base in quantum technologies.

DST has supported research infrastructure schemes such as the Fund for Improvement of S&T Infrastructure (FIST), Promotion of University Research and Scientific Excellence (PURSE), Sophisticated Analytical Instrument Facilities (SAIF), and Sophisticated Analytical & Technical Help Institutes (SATHI) to strengthen advanced research facilities in academic and R&D institutions.

The  National  Initiative  for  Developing  and  Harnessing  Innovations (NIDHI) program of DST has supported innovation-driven and technology-based startups through prototyping, incubation, seed funding,  and  entrepreneurship  development  activities.  Under  NIDHI PRAYAS program, mentoring and financial  assistance  is  provided  to innovators  and  entrepreneurs,  including  women  entrepreneurs,  for proof of concept and prototype development, helping them to create their own ventures and employment. Under NIDHI EiR (Entrepreneur in Residence) program, entrepreneurial mentoring and financial support is

provided to students to pursue entrepreneurship, create ventures and employment.

Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) programmes,  including  INSPIRE-Million  Minds  Augmenting  National Aspiration  and  Knowledge  (MANAK), INSPIRE Scholarship for Higher Education  (SHE)  and  Vigyan  Jyoti,  has  been  supporting  meritorious youth, through scholarships and fellowships, to pursue studies in basic and natural sciences at the college and university levels and to take up research  careers  in  basic  and  applied  science  disciplines,  including engineering, medicine, agriculture, veterinary sciences etc.

Climate,  Energy  and  Sustainable  Technology  (CEST)  program  has supported R&D in renewable energy, hydrogen and fuel cells, advanced energy storage, carbon capture and utilisation, methane mitigation, and technologies for hard-to-abate sectors.

National  Mission  on  Interdisciplinary  Cyber-Physical  Systems  (NMICPS), has established Technology Innovation Hubs (TIHs) in leading institutions with a focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML),  Internet  of  Things  (IoT),  robotics,  cybersecurity,  and  related areas.

Department of Biotechnology (DBT) supports research and development across the country through the Biotechnology Research Innovation  and  Entrepreneurship  Development  (Bio-RIDE)  scheme, covering  Biotechnology  Research  and  Development  (R&D),  Industrial and  Entrepreneurship  Development  (I&ED),  and  Biomanufacturing &Biofoundry.

(b) to (c): The State-wise details of the number of persons who have directly benefited under the specific schemes during the last two years are placed at Annexure-I.

- (d) to (e): The  Government  has  taken  several  positive  steps  to ensure  smooth  implementation,  effective  outreach,  and  equitable access,  particularly  in  rural,  aspirational,  and  underserved  regions. Following activities have been supported:
-  Establishment  of  Science,  Technology  and  Innovation  (STI) Hubs  for  holistic  development  of  Scheduled  Caste  (SC)  and

- Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities, aimed at livelihood creation and quality-of-life improvement.
-  Technology awareness, demonstration, and adoption programmes at the grassroots level to enhance the outreach of R& D schemes.
-  Establishment of Technology Enabling Centres (TECs) in universities to promote industry-academia-government collaboration, translational research, and local innovations.
-  Capacity  building,  skill  development,  and  entrepreneurship training  to  enable  participation  from  diverse  socio-economic backgrounds.
-  NIDHI Inclusive Technology Business Incubators (NIDHI - iTBI) Program to promote entrepreneurship in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, with a focus on inclusiveness in terms of geographies, gender, persons with special abilities, etc.

Annexure-I State-wise number of direct beneficiaries

| S. No.   | Name of States/UTs   | Number of direct beneficiaries of the specific program (DST)   | Number of direct beneficiaries of the specific program (DST)   | Number of direct beneficiaries of the specific program (DST)      |
|----------|----------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
| S. No.   | Name of States/UTs   | Entrepreneur- in-Residence (NIDHI-EiR) Programme               | NIDHI- PRAYAS Programme                                        | INSPIRE Programme (Scholarship, Fellowship & Faculty Fellowships) |
| 1.       | Andhra Pradesh       | 1                                                              | 21                                                             | 288                                                               |
| 2.       | Arunachal Pradesh    | --                                                             | --                                                             | 15                                                                |
| 3.       | Assam                | --                                                             | 10                                                             | 691                                                               |
| 4.       | Bihar                | --                                                             | 13                                                             | 1270                                                              |
| 5.       | Chhattisgarh         | --                                                             | 2                                                              | 2360                                                              |
| 6.       | Goa                  | 3                                                              | 1                                                              | 95                                                                |
| 7.       | Gujarat              | 11                                                             | 52                                                             | 745                                                               |
| 8.       | Haryana              | --                                                             | 21                                                             | 734                                                               |
| 9.       | Himachal Pradesh     | 2                                                              | 2                                                              | 888                                                               |
| 10.      | Jharkhand            | --                                                             | 2                                                              | 194                                                               |
| 11.      | Karnataka            | 5                                                              | 81                                                             | 964                                                               |
| 12.      | Kerala               | 3                                                              | 41                                                             | 3093                                                              |
| 13.      | Madhya Pradesh       | --                                                             | 9                                                              | 3401                                                              |
| 14.      | Maharashtra          | 11                                                             | 71                                                             | 1797                                                              |
| 15.      | Manipur              | 2                                                              | --                                                             | 636                                                               |
| 16.      | Meghalaya            | --                                                             | --                                                             | 143                                                               |
| 17.      | Mizoram              | --                                                             | --                                                             | 51                                                                |
| 18.      | Nagaland             | --                                                             | --                                                             | 73                                                                |
| 19.      | Odisha               | 3                                                              | 32                                                             | 920                                                               |
| 20.      | Punjab               | --                                                             | 5                                                              | 535                                                               |
| 21.      | Rajasthan            | 3                                                              | 23                                                             | 13052                                                             |
| 22.      | Sikkim               | --                                                             | --                                                             | 10                                                                |
| 23.      | Tamil Nadu           | 23                                                             | 99                                                             | 762                                                               |

| S. No.   | Name of States/UTs                       | Number of direct beneficiaries of the specific program (DST)   | Number of direct beneficiaries of the specific program (DST)   | Number of direct beneficiaries of the specific program (DST)      |
|----------|------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|          |                                          | Entrepreneur- in-Residence (NIDHI-EiR) Programme               | NIDHI- PRAYAS Programme                                        | INSPIRE Programme (Scholarship, Fellowship & Faculty Fellowships) |
| 24.      | Telangana                                | 5                                                              | 44                                                             | 490                                                               |
| 25.      | Tripura                                  | --                                                             | --                                                             | 42                                                                |
| 26.      | Uttarakhand                              | --                                                             | 4                                                              | 2089                                                              |
| 27.      | Uttar Pradesh                            | 12                                                             | 29                                                             | 29246                                                             |
| 28.      | West Bengal                              | 3                                                              | 11                                                             | 3875                                                              |
| 29.      | Andaman and Nicobar Islands              | --                                                             | --                                                             | 4                                                                 |
| 30.      | Chandigarh                               | --                                                             | 1                                                              | 136                                                               |
| 31.      | Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu | --                                                             | --                                                             | 2                                                                 |
| 32.      | Jammu and Kashmir                        | --                                                             | 4                                                              | 284                                                               |
| 33.      | Delhi                                    | 2                                                              | 14                                                             | 775                                                               |
| 34.      | Pondicherry                              | --                                                             | --                                                             | 20                                                                |

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