Shivraj Singh Chouhan disburses scholarship funds worth Rs 21.35 cr to over 6,000 agriculture students

Shivraj Singh Chouhan, union minister for agriculture and farmers’ welfare and rural development has released scholarship funds worth Rs 21.35 crore to over 6,000 agriculture students. The minister has also launched a National Scholarship Portal (NSP) to disburse the funds directly to the students, according to an official press release.

The total scholarship amount was released through a Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system to more than 6,000 agriculture students, as per the release.

Notably, through the NSP-DBT system, agriculture students will now receive scholarship funds every month without delay, the document read.

“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,” it added.

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NSP-DBT system will provide scholarships to students without delay: Chouhan

Highlighting the importance of scholarship in education, Chouhan said that a scholarship fund is not just a financial assistance, but also a means of making agricultural education stronger, more practical and better connected with opportunities.

He said that with the help of the DBT system, students would receive assistance on time and the problem of traditional delays would be eliminated.

He further added and said that practical training is extremely important in agricultural education, because classroom-based learning alone cannot produce good farmers, scientists or agricultural entrepreneurs.

“Students need opportunities to gain practical experience and understand the realities of agriculture beyond the classroom. He also appealed to students to share their suggestions and ideas for improvement so that the education and training system can be continuously strengthened,” the minister said.

The NSP-DBT system will make scholarship distribution more transparent, faster and seamless, he said, and added that the system would ensure that students receive financial assistance on time, enabling them to concentrate more effectively on their education without being burdened by uncertainty regarding the release of scholarship funds.

In addition, the minister also urged agriculture students at the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) institutions across the country to carry on plantation activities on the occasion of ‘Hariyali Amavasya’.