PALIAMENT QUESTION: INCLINATION OF GIRLS TOWARDS SCIENCE
The Department of Science and Technology (DST) is implementing Vigyan Jyoti programme to encourage meritorious girls to pursue higher education and careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields since 2019-20. The program aims to promote gender parity in STEM by sustaining the talent pool in science and technology through various year-round activities like hands-on experiential learning sessions, interactions with scientific role models, visits to R&D and industrial labs, career guidance workshops and student-parent counselling sessions that provide exposure to increase the interest and inclination of girls towards science. Since its inception, Vigyan Jyoti programme has benefitted over 80,000 high-achieving girls from 300 districts across 35 States/UTs. To strengthen its impact, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) has engaged with over 250 premiers national institutions, including universities, science and technology institutes, CSIR labs, and other reputed organizations, which serve as knowledge partners, contributing significantly to the program’s mission of fostering more girls participation in STEM. The details of girl students encouraged to pursue science during the last three years, state-wise is given below: State/UTs 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 Total Andaman and Nicobar 100 100 115 315 Andhra Pradesh 692 880 889 2461 Arunachal Pradesh 277 233 347 857 Assam 925 970 1276 3171 Bihar 694 912 1243 2849 Chandigarh 100 100 103 303 Chhattisgarh 739 1066 1397 3202 Dadar, Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu 200 200 188 588 Delhi 197 195 200 592 Goa 93 98 100 291 Gujarat 785 1703 1567 4055 Haryana 583 891 1580 3054 Himachal Pradesh 711 856 972 2539 Jammu and Kashmir 366 589 939 1894 Jharkhand 713 1017 1265 2995 Karnataka 846 1030 1278 3154 Kerala 686 810 975 2471 Ladakh 88 99 200 387 Madhya Pradesh 961 1273 1385 3619 Maharashtra 1001 1496 1709 4206 Manipur 291 289 463 1043 Meghalaya 222 300 394 916 Mizoram 47 90 87 224 Nagaland 82 104 97 283 Odisha 776 1082 1280 3138 Puducherry 341 399 396 1136 Punjab 653 1091 1480 3224 Rajasthan 920 1263 1712 3895 Sikkim 199 167 187 553 Telangana 491 745 771 2007 Tripura 213 233 299 745 Uttarakhand 664 861 900 2425 Uttar Pradesh 1285 1502 2566 5353 West Bengal 925 998 1083 3006 This information was given by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, Earth Sciences, MoS PMO, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today. *** NKR/PSM The Department of Science and Technology (DST) is implementing Vigyan Jyoti programme to encourage meritorious girls to pursue higher education and careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields since 2019-20. The program aims to promote gender parity in STEM by sustaining the talent pool in science and technology through various year-round activities like hands-on experiential learning sessions, interactions with scientific role models, visits to R&D and industrial labs, career guidance workshops and student-parent counselling sessions that provide exposure to increase the interest and inclination of girls towards science. Since its inception, Vigyan Jyoti programme has benefitted over 80,000 high-achieving girls from 300 districts across 35 States/UTs. To strengthen its impact, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) has engaged with over 250 premiers national institutions, including universities, science and technology institutes, CSIR labs, and other reputed organizations, which serve as knowledge partners, contributing significantly to the program’s mission of fostering more girls participation in STEM. The details of girl students encouraged to pursue science during the last three years, state-wise is given below: State/UTs 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 Total Andaman and Nicobar 100 100 115 315 Andhra Pradesh 692 880 889 2461 Arunachal Pradesh 277 233 347 857 Assam 925 970 1276 3171 Bihar 694 912 1243 2849 Chandigarh 100 100 103 303 Chhattisgarh 739 1066 1397 3202 Dadar, Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu 200 200 188 588 Delhi 197 195 200 592 Goa 93 98 100 291 Gujarat 785 1703 1567 4055 Haryana 583 891 1580 3054 Himachal Pradesh 711 856 972 2539 Jammu and Kashmir 366 589 939 1894 Jharkhand 713 1017 1265 2995 Karnataka 846 1030 1278 3154 Kerala 686 810 975 2471 Ladakh 88 99 200 387 Madhya Pradesh 961 1273 1385 3619 Maharashtra 1001 1496 1709 4206 Manipur 291 289 463 1043 Meghalaya 222 300 394 916 Mizoram 47 90 87 224 Nagaland 82 104 97 283 Odisha 776 1082 1280 3138 Puducherry 341 399 396 1136 Punjab 653 1091 1480 3224 Rajasthan 920 1263 1712 3895 Sikkim 199 167 187 553 Telangana 491 745 771 2007 Tripura 213 233 299 745 Uttarakhand 664 861 900 2425 Uttar Pradesh 1285 1502 2566 5353 West Bengal 925 998 1083 3006 This information was given by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, Earth Sciences, MoS PMO, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today. *** NKR/PSM