Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched a Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) initiative through the National Scholarship Portal, releasing scholarship and fellowship funds totaling Rs 21.35 crore to more than 6,000 agriculture students across India. The event took place at ICAR-IARI, Pusa on August 11, 2026, with the new system designed to provide monthly scholarship disbursements without delays, ensuring timely financial assistance to students.
The Minister emphasized that scholarships represent more than just financial aid, serving as a mechanism to strengthen agricultural education through practical training and better connectivity with opportunities. He stressed that classroom-based learning alone is insufficient for producing competent farmers, scientists, or agricultural entrepreneurs, highlighting the critical need for practical experience and understanding of agricultural realities. The NSP-DBT system aims to make scholarship distribution more transparent, faster, and seamless, allowing students to focus on their education without uncertainty regarding fund release.
Shri Chouhan outlined the government's priorities under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, focusing on food security, nutrition, and farmers' income security in the agriculture sector. He acknowledged the contributions of ICAR scientists and farmers in strengthening India's foodgrain reserves and agricultural progress. The Minister encouraged students to pursue innovation, startups, and research rather than limiting themselves to employment opportunities, and appealed to them to undertake plantation activities on 'Hariyali Amavasya' as part of environmental responsibility initiatives.
The event was attended by Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Shri Bhagirath Choudhary, ICAR Director General Dr. M.L. Jat, ICAR Secretary Shri Gyanendra Tripathi, Deputy Director General Dr. Yashpal Singh Malik, and IARI Director Dr. C. Srinivasa Rao. Senior officials, scientists, and students from ICAR and IARI participated both physically and online, with thousands joining the program virtually.