Last Thursday, September 18, Minister of State for School Education Pankaj Bhoyar announced that the Maharashtra government intends to send 51 students annually to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the United States.

According to the proposal, 51 state-level finalists will be flown to NASA under the "Chief Minister Vidyarthi Vigyan Vari" programme. In addition, students with the top 51 projects from district-level competitions will visit the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) headquarters in Bengaluru, and students with the top 21 projects from tehsil-level competitions will visit a science centre in their division, PTI reports.

"The school education department holds science project competitions at the tehsil, district and state levels. We give prizes to the winners, but the students who do not win also put in great effort. We want to recognise them too, and that is why this plan was made," Bhoyar said.

According to a school education department official, the NASA trip requires state-level approval because it will cost a total of Rs 3 crore, whereas the tehsil and district-level trips will be funded by the District Planning and Development Council (DPDC).

Although Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis approved the plan in June 2025, it is currently pending final approval.

"We are waiting for the funds to be cleared soon," the official told PTI.

According to Bhoyar, the programme's goal is to inspire kids to continue nurturing their interest in science.

"We want them to go beyond one project and move further into scientific research. This will allow students from across Maharashtra to visit science centres and think of bigger ideas for the future," he said.

Recently, the government also increased the prize money for the winner of the state-level competition from Rs 5,000 to Rs 51,000.