What happened: Lok Sabha reply on INSPIRE-SHE targets, selections, and funds (2019-20 to 2024-25)

The Ministry of Science & Technology reported in a Lok Sabha written reply, published through the Press Information Bureau (PIB), states that the annual target for awarding scholarships under the Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research—Scholarship for Higher Education (INSPIRE-SHE) Scheme has been achieved. The INSPIRE-SHE scholarships are awarded through Direct Mode and Institution Mode and are stated to be given strictly to eligible candidates as per approved provisions and selection criteria.

The Lok Sabha reply also shares a dataset for 2019-20 to 2024-25: applications received, students selected, and scholarships awarded by each State/Union Territory, plus total applications and selections across all States/UTs.

What happened (numbers): applications, students selected, and scholarships awarded totals

Across all States/UTs, the reply lists the following totals for 2019-20 to 2024-25:

Applications received: 16782 (2019-20), 24467 (2020-21), 20087 (2021-22), 16979 (2022-23), 18443 (2023-24), 21392 (2024-25).