Ruling MLAs question Maharashtra govt over student scheme; minister blames finance dept

Nagpur, Dec 11 (PTI) Treasury bench members in the Maharashtra assembly on Thursday questioned the government over a student welfare scheme, prompting a Shiv Sena minister to express displeasure at the "strictures" imposed by the finance and planning department headed by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar.

During the question hour, queries on the Mukhyamantri Vidyarthi Vigyan Vari scheme were raised almost entirely by MLAs from the treasury benches.

Explaining the purpose of the scheme, School Education Minister Dada Bhuse said it aimed to develop scientific curiosity among students and make science fairs more inspiring.

He also said that the Finance and Planning Department (headed by NCP leader Ajit Pawar) had objected when the government proposed increasing the prize amount from Rs 5,000 to Rs 51,000.

"The department issued such strictures that we had no words to describe. They even stated that if the prize money is increased to Rs 51,000, parents would get their children's projects made from outside instead of allowing students to work on them," Bhuse told the House.

He said the department believed this would defeat the spirit of science competitions.

When BJP legislator Devayani Farande raised another query, Bhuse responded in an irked tone, "The issue is raised in such a way that it appears the funds are held back by my department. It is not the fact and one should not say this." The scheme, approved in principle by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in June 2025, proposes educational visits for winners of science project competitions.

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 National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the US.

Final funding approval is still awaited. Officials said the project requires an annual budget of about Rs 3 crore to send the state finalists to NASA, while tehsil and district-level visits will be financed through District Planning and Development Council (DPDC) funds.

An official from the education department had earlier said the aim was to encourage students to deepen their engagement with scientific research. "The intention is to ensure students do not stop at one project but move further into the world of scientific exploration," he said.

The government has also recently increased the state-level science competition prize money to Rs 51,000. PTI ND GK