Lucknow, Oct 18 (IANS) In a remarkable development, Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government has doubled the number of scholarship seats for children from the farming community, pursuing higher education in the Agriculture, government officials said on Sunday. The scope of the 'Chief Minister's Farmers' Scholarship Scheme' (Mukhyamantri Krishak Chhatravritti Yojana) has been expanded to encourage meritorious children of farmers and agricultural labourers, who choose to enroll in higher studies.

Under the scholarship scheme, run by the State Agricultural Produce Market Board (Mandi Parishad), 90 students, instead of the previous 45, at each agricultural university and institute, and 30 students—instead of the previous 15—at each agricultural college, will now receive an annual scholarship of Rs 60,000 based on merit. This increase is set to help more students from the economically disadvantaged farming families to pursue agricultural education.

At present, the Mandi Parishad provides scholarships under this scheme to eligible students enrolled in 11 agricultural universities and institutes, as well as 61 agricultural colleges across the state. Also, each selected student will now receive Rs 60,000 annually, compared to the previous Rs 36,000—an additional financial support of Rs 24,000 per year. This increased scholarship amount will assist students in covering their education-related expenses. According to the Mandi Parishad (Agricultural Produce Market Board), a total of 6,454 students received scholarships amounting to around Rs 22.90 crore under the 'Mukhyamantri Krishak Chhatravritti Yojana' between the financial years 2017-18 and 2025-26.

With the recent increase in the number of scholarship slots and the total financial aid, more students will now have the opportunity to benefit from the scheme. Under the revised framework, the number of scholarship slots for undergraduate agriculture courses at agricultural universities and institutions has been increased from 25 to 50, and for undergraduate Home Science courses, from 6 to 12. For postgraduate agriculture courses, the number of slots has been raised from 10 to 20, and for postgraduate Home Science courses, from four to eight. Additionally, at agricultural colleges, the number of scholarship slots has been increased from 10 to 20 for undergraduate programs and from five to 10 for postgraduate programs.

Beyond agriculture, the scheme also covers eligible students pursuing studies in horticulture, forestry, animal husbandry, and related disciplines. Jitendra Pratap Singh, Director of the Mandi Parishad, speaking about the initiative credited the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government for sustained effort to enhancing better opportunities to the children, from agricultural background.

--IANS