NEW DELHI, October 16 — The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Friday approved the continuation and restructuring of the unified central umbrella scheme titled 'Vigyan Dhara' under the Department of Science and Technology (DST) with an aggregate financial outlay of ₹10,579 crore.
The consolidated scheme subsumes multiple disparate interventions under three core pillars: (1) Science & Technology Institutional and Human Capacity Building, (2) Research and Development (R&D) Infrastructure Support, and (3) Innovation, Technology Development, and Deployment. The scheme features dedicated affirmative tracks including the DISHA program to advance the careers of women researchers and engineers in STEM disciplines.
Union Science officials emphasized that 'Vigyan Dhara' functions in operational alignment with the newly constituted Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), bridging academic fundamental science with high-impact translational research across nanotechnology, clean energy, and artificial intelligence.
The statutory mandate of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF Act 2023), metrics of Gross Expenditure on Research and Development (GERD as a percentage of GDP), national policies governing Science, Technology, and Innovation (STIP), and gender equity initiatives in scientific discovery are critical concepts across UPSC Civil Services (GS-III: Science, Technology & Innovation Governance).