Now Reading: Centre releases Rs 21.35 crore scholarships for 6,000 agri students
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Centre releases Rs 21.35 crore scholarships for 6,000 agri students
The Union agriculture ministry has released Rs 21.35 crore in scholarships and fellowships to over 6,000 agriculture students through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP) via direct benefit transfer (DBT). Union minister Shivraj…
The Story in Brief
The Union agriculture ministry has released Rs 21.35 crore in scholarships and fellowships to over 6,000 agriculture students through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP) via direct benefit transfer (DBT). Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched the initiative at ICAR-IARI in Pusa on Monday. The DBT system will make monthly payments directly into students' accounts, aiming to eliminate traditional delays in disbursement.
Students can apply on the NSP portal after completing one-time registration using Aadhaar or mobile number. For the 2026-27 academic year, the portal opened on June 1; the deadline for post-matric and higher education scholarships is October 31, 2026. The ministry says the first monthly DBT cycle is scheduled for December 2026.
The Indian Opinion
The DBT shift is welcome, but the number of beneficiaries, 6,000, is a sliver of India's agriculture student population. Claims of a 'hassle-free' system overlook ground realities: last-minute paperwork, portal glitches and state-level verification delays have marred previous NSP cycles. The real test will be whether the first monthly DBT cycle in December 2026 goes through on time and whether applications cross 10 lakh for agri schemes. If not, this remains a photo-op dressed as reform.
Sources (2): livemint.com, timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
