The Centre on Tuesday released ₹21.35 crore worth of scholarships via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to more than 6,000 agriculture students, as reported by EducationPost. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, these students are now set to receive monthly deposits without delays through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP). Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched the disbursement at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR-IARI) in Pusa on 10 August, emphasizing that the initiative aims to make scholarship disbursement more streamlined and ensure students receive financial assistance in a timely and hassle-free manner. The launch of the new scholarship mechanism marks an effort to make government support more direct and predictable for agriculture students, with the presence of senior ICAR and IARI officials, scientists and students at the event underlining the importance of collaboration between educational institutions, researchers and policymakers.
The NSP-DBT system represents a significant shift toward digital scholarship distribution, as reported by Mint. Chouhan stated that the system would make scholarship distribution more transparent, faster and seamless, with students receiving assistance on time and eliminating traditional delays. The Minister emphasized that a scholarship is not merely financial assistance but also a means of making agricultural education stronger, more practical and better connected with opportunities. Students can now access the National Scholarship Portal at scholarships.gov.in to apply for fresh applications using Aadhaar, APAAR or OTR credentials. The system is intended to make payments more transparent and hassle-free, with the first phase resulting in substantial financial assistance for eligible students.
According to the official portal FAQs reported by Mint, students can apply for multiple scholarship schemes from Academic Year 2026–27 onwards, subject to specific conditions. Only one merit-based scheme can be applied for in an academic year, including fresh and renewal applications, while more than one welfare-based scheme may be applied for if eligible. The application process involves providing basic information, selecting the desired scholarship category, uploading required documents, and submitting the application within prescribed deadlines. Students can withdraw applications at any time during the process if the application is not processed for payment or if the scheme's L2 verification dates are not closed. Eligible students pursuing agriculture and related programmes can apply for scholarships subject to specific scheme's academic, income, category and other eligibility requirements.
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) operates several international fellowship programs to enhance agricultural education globally. The Netaji Subhash International Fellowship program provides funding for Indian fellows pursuing doctoral degrees abroad and overseas candidates studying in Indian agricultural universities. A total of 173 candidates were benefited under this program from 2021-22 to 2024-25, with 11 candidates (4 Indian and 7 foreign) selected for the ICAR-NSIF-2025. Additionally, ICAR offers the BIMSTEC Scholarship on Agriculture with 6 slots for Masters and 6 slots for Ph.D. programmes, while the ASEAN–India Fellowship provides funding for students from ASEAN member countries for Master's degrees in agriculture and allied sciences.
Speaking at the launch, Shivraj Singh Chouhan stressed the need to make practical training an integral part of students' learning experience, emphasizing that classroom education alone cannot produce competent farmers, scientists or agricultural entrepreneurs. The minister urged students to set ambitious goals and explore innovation, research and start-ups within agriculture, encouraging young people to contribute to the country's development through entrepreneurship. Chouhan also stated that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government is giving priority to food security, nutrition and farmers' income security in the agriculture sector. Addressing the students, Chouhan emphasised that practical training is extremely important in agricultural education because classroom-based learning alone cannot produce good farmers, scientists or agricultural entrepreneurs. He stressed that students need opportunities to gain practical experience and understand the realities of agriculture beyond the classroom. The scholarship initiative comes at a time when agricultural education is increasingly expected to prepare students not only for academic and research careers but also for emerging opportunities in technology, entrepreneurship and innovation, with agriculture expanding beyond traditional farming into areas such as precision agriculture, digital farming, biotechnology, food processing, agricultural machinery and data-driven crop management.
