Jaipur, Sept. 8 -- Rajasthan has ranked second nationally in the number of students selected under the Centre's INSPIRE Scholarship for Higher Education programme. Central data showed that around 14,966 students from Rajasthan received the scholarship between 2019-20 and 2024-25, nearly 23% of all beneficiaries nationwide. Only Uttar Pradesh recorded more selections, with 25,759 students during the six-year period. The figures were provided by the Union Ministry of Science and Technology in response to a question in the Lok Sabha during the recent monsoon session. INSPIRE-SHE, or Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research-Scholarship for Higher Education, supports meritorious students pursuing undergraduate and postgraduate courses in basic and natural sciences. The programme is open to students of all genders and aims to encourage them to pursue research careers. The Department of Science and Technology received 23,571 applications from Rajasthan during the six-year period and selected 14,966 students, indicating an overall selection rate of 63.5%. Rajasthan ranked first nationally in 2019-20, when 2,937 students from the state were selected, compared with 2,579 from Uttar Pradesh. It slipped to second place in 2020-21 and remained behind Uttar Pradesh in each subsequent year. The number of beneficiaries from Rajasthan, however, fluctuated considerably. It fell from 2,937 in 2019-20 to 2,756 in 2020-21 and then declined sharply to 1,197 in 2021-22. Selections recovered to 2,777 in 2022-23 and rose further to 2,869 in 2023-24. However, they declined by more than 15% to 2,430 in 2024-25, even as applications increased from 3,890 to 4,384. Nationally, 65,622 students were selected under the programme during the six years. Female beneficiaries outnumbered males from 2021-22 onwards. In 2024-25, 6,495 women and 4,799 men received scholarships. Rural students constituted the majority of beneficiaries in every year covered by the data. The Centre allocated, released and utilised Rs.1,578.63 crore under the programme between 2019-20 and 2025-26. Asked whether the scheme had been assessed for its effectiveness in attracting talented students to higher education and research in basic and natural sciences, the government said it regularly reviewed its implementation and outcomes. INSPIRE aims to attract young talent to science and strengthen the country's research capacity....