What is Vigyan Dhara Scheme?

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, on 24th August 2024, approved continuation of the three umbrella schemes, merged into a unified central sector scheme namely ‘Vigyan Dhara’ of Department of Science and Technology (DST).
The scheme has three broad components:
1.Science and Technology (S&T) Institutional and Human Capacity Building,
2.Research and Development and
3.Innovation, Technology Development and Deployment.
The scheme endeavours to promote research in areas such as basic research with access to the international mega facilities, translational research in sustainable energy, water, etc. and collaborative research through international bilateral and multilateral cooperation. It will also contribute to building critical human resource pool to strengthen the science and technology landscape and expand the R&D base of the country towards improving the Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) researcher count. Focused interventions will be taken up to enhance the participation of women in the field of Science and Technology (S&T) with the ultimate goal of bringing gender parity in Science, Technology and Innovation (STI). The scheme would reinforce the efforts of the government towards promoting innovations at all levels, starting from school level to higher education, and for the industries and startups through targeted interventions. Significant support will be extended to increase collaboration between academia, Government, and also with industries.All the programs proposed under the ‘Vigyan Dhara’ scheme would be aligned with the 5-year goals of DST towards realising the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047. The research and development component of the scheme will be aligned in line with the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF).