Since its establishment in 2020, a total of Rs 5,841.08 lakh has been distributed as scholarships to female students. The Department of Science and Technology is administering a comprehensive scheme called ‘Women in Science and Engineering-KIRAN (WISE-KIRAN)’ to offer diverse opportunities to women in the Science & Technology (S&T) field through various programs.
The programs include the Women Scientists Scheme, which supports women scientists who have taken a career break; the WISE Fellowship for PhD (WISE-PhD), which facilitates doctoral research in basic and applied sciences; the WISE Post-Doctoral Fellowship (WISE-PDF), which supports post-doctoral research in basic and applied sciences; WISE-SCOPE, aimed at addressing societal challenges through S&T interventions, and WIDUSHI, which assists senior women scientists in continuing their scientific careers.
The government also offers the ‘WISE Internship in IPR (WISE IPR)’ program, which offers training in Intellectual Property Rights. Additionally, the ‘Vigyan Jyoti’ initiative, launched in 2020, aims to inspire talented girls to pursue careers in underrepresented fields of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics).
According to government data, approximately 21,600 female students from Class 9-12, spanning 250 districts across the country, are currently enrolled in this program. The initiative entails a range of activities throughout the year, including parent-student counseling, career guidance, specialized academic classes, tinkering activities, interactions with role models, lab/industry visits, and science camps.
Furthermore, the Vigyan Jyoti Programme offers one-year scholarships to Class 12 girls. Since its inception in 2020, a total of Rs 5841.08 lakh has been disbursed in scholarships to female students.
