Maharashtra govt plans to send 51 students annually to NASA under 'Vidyarthi Vigyan Vari' scheme

Mumbai, Sep 22 (PTI) The Maharashtra government plans to send 51 students every year to National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the United States, Minister of State for School Education Pankaj Bhoyar said on Thursday.

As per the proposal, students with the top 21 projects from tehsil-level competitions will visit a science centre in their division, those with the top 51 projects from district-level competitions will get a trip to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) headquarters in Bengaluru, while 51 state-level finalists will be taken to NASA under the 'Chief Minister Vidyarthi Vigyan Vari' scheme.

"The school education department holds science project competitions at tehsil, district and state levels. We give prizes to the winners, but the students who do not win also put in great effort. We want to recognise them too, and that is why this plan was made," Bhoyar said.

A school education department official said the District Planning and Development Council (DPDC) funds will cover the tehsil and district-level tours but the NASA trip needs state-level approval as it entails a total cost of Rs 3 crore.

The plan is still waiting for final approval even though Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis cleared it in June 2025.

"We are waiting for the funds to be cleared soon," the official said.

The aim of the scheme is to motivate students to continue their interest in science, Bhoyar said.

"We want them to go beyond one project and move further into scientific research. This will allow students from across Maharashtra to visit science centres and think of bigger ideas for the future," he said.

Recently, the government also increased the prize money for the winner of the state-level competition from Rs 5,000 to Rs 51,000. PTI ND BNM