Rural Students Get Priority in Space Education Initiative YUVIKA, Says Dr. Jitendra Singh in Rajya Sabha

India’s space education outreach is being expanded with a sharper focus on inclusivity, rural access and early scientific exposure, Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh told the Rajya Sabha on April 2, 2026. He said the Yuva Vigyani Karyakram (YUVIKA), launched in 2019, is designed to identify and encourage school students at an early stage by introducing Class 9 students to space science and technology through structured exposure to ISRO’s ecosystem.

The minister said the programme has been built around balanced national representation, with 10 students selected from each State and 8 from each Union Territory every year. He added that the selection system gives special weightage to rural participation, including a 15 percent preference for students from Panchayat-level schools. Selection also factors in quiz performance, science fair participation, Olympiads, NSS, Scouts and other extracurricular activities, making the process broader than a purely academic shortlist.

According to the government, 1,320 students have benefited from YUVIKA across five editions so far. The programme was not held in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but recent editions have seen around 350 students selected annually, indicating wider reach and stronger participation.

YUVIKA is conducted as a one-month residential summer programme at major ISRO centres, where students receive hands-on exposure to space science, interact with scientists and gain familiarity with advanced technologies. At present, the initiative is hosted at seven centres, including Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram and Space Applications Centre in Ahmedabad. Two more centres, at Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu and Jodhpur in Rajasthan, are being added to expand capacity.

Responding to concerns about outreach, particularly in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the minister said the programme is open to students from both Central and State Boards, including government schools, and that awareness is being built through quiz competitions, science fairs and district- and state-level academic engagement. He also linked YUVIKA to a wider effort to strengthen India’s scientific talent pipeline, citing complementary initiatives such as Vigyan Jyoti, which encourages girls in Classes 9 to 12 to pursue STEM careers.

Dr. Jitendra Singh also placed the initiative in the context of India’s fast-growing space sector, stating that the sector is now close to a $9 billion economy and is projected to reach $44 billion by 2033. He said more than 90 percent of India’s foreign satellite launches have taken place in the last decade, reflecting the pace of change in the sector. The broader goal, he said, is to build a stronger pipeline of future scientists and support India’s ambition of becoming a global space technology leader by 2047.

Reference: PIB