Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launches National Scholarship Portal
Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, and Rural Development, Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday released scholarship and fellowship funds for agriculture students from across the country through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP) at ICAR-IARI, Pusa. Under this initiative, a total amount of Rs 21.35 crore was released directly through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to more than 6,000 students. With the introduction of this new initiative, agriculture students will now receive their scholarship amounts every month through DBT without facing unnecessary difficulties or delays. The initiative is aimed at making the process of scholarship disbursement more streamlined and ensuring that students receive financial assistance in a timely and hassle-free manner.
On the occasion, Union Agriculture Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that a scholarship is not merely financial assistance, but also a means of making agricultural education stronger, more practical and better connected with opportunities. He said that with the DBT system now in place, students would receive assistance on time and the problem of traditional delays would be eliminated.
Addressing the students, Shri 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.
Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Bhagirath Choudhary, ICAR Director General Dr. M.L. Jat, ICAR Secretary Gyanendra Tripathi, Deputy Director General Dr. Yashpal Singh Malik and IARI Director Dr. C. Srinivasa Rao were present at the programme. Senior officials, scientists and students from ICAR and IARI attended the event in large numbers, while thousands of students also joined the programme online.(updated on 11th August 2026)
