Science scholarships get Rs 240 crore boost in Budget

Government's initiative to award scholarships to those opting for science studies got a Rs 240 crore allocation in the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

The first 39,000 INSPIRE scholarships were awarded earlier this month by the Ministry of Science and Technology. They are aimed at attracting students towards basic science and research.

The budgetary allocation for Department of Science and Technology was hiked to Rs 2,025 crores from Rs 1,672 crores from the previous. The Department of Scientific and Industrial Research saw its plan allocation go up from Rs 1,279 crores to Rs 1,600 crores.

Allocation for the Department of Biotechnology has been hiked from Rs 902 crore to Rs 1,200 crores.

The Ministry of Earth Sciences' plan allocation has been pegged at Rs 1,000 crores from Rs 793 crore the previous fiscal.

The budgetary allocation increased by over Rs 100 crore for carrying out oceanographic research while it increased by Rs 40 crore for improving weather forecasting research.

The India Meteorological Department has been earmarked Rs. 165 crore for its ambitious modernisation programme for which it had got Rs 136.88 crore last year.