Launched in 2008, the Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) has reached 6.75 lakh students -- two students from each school of the country of class 6th to 10th standard.
The INSPIRE programme was launched by the Department of Science and Technology for attracting students to take up basic sciences as a career option.
"A proposal to expand the coverage of scheme during the 12th Plan, to select one child per school per year is under consideration of the Government, this would mean 20 lakh awards will be sanctioned during the five-year period at about four lakh awards per year," Minister of State for Science and Technology Ashwani Kumar said here.
Currently, under the scheme, two students are eligible from each school during the Five Year Plan period for an INSPIRE Award of Rs 5,000 each for preparing a science project/model.
These awardees who are students from classes VI to X, then participate in a three tier-competition -- District, State and National Level.
Kumar was speaking after giving away the state level awards to students at the 2nd National Level Exhibition and Project Competition (NLEPC) here.
This year, 1138 children participated in the NLEPC which gives them an opportunity to converge at one point and witness each other's scientific pursuits and talents.
