Government Announces Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar 2025, Honouring 25 Trailblazers in Indian Science
The Indian government has announced the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar (RVP) 2025, honouring 24 eminent scientists and one pioneering research team for transformative contributions across science and technology. The awards, including the prestigious Vigyan Ratna, Vigyan Shri, Vigyan Yuva-Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar, and Vigyan Team, recognize lifetime achievement, sustained impact, early- and mid-career innovation, and collaborative research. The CSIR Aroma Mission team received the sole Vigyan Team award for boosting aromatic crop cultivation and rural incomes. The ceremony will be held on National Science Day 2026.
The Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar (RVP) 2025, India’s highest civilian recognition in science and technology, has been announced by the Union government, celebrating 24 individual scientists and one research team for their groundbreaking work across diverse scientific domains. The awards, streamlined under a single framework since 2023, include four categories: Vigyan Ratna (lifetime achievement), Vigyan Shri (sustained impact by senior researchers), Vigyan Yuva-Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar (early- and mid-career innovators under 45), and Vigyan Team (collaborative research). The Vigyan Ratna, akin to the Bharat Ratna for science, was instituted in 2023 and first awarded in 2024 to Dr. Govindarajan Padmanabhan for his work on malaria; this year’s recipients continue to reflect India’s commitment to scientific excellence. Eight senior researchers received Vigyan Shri for contributions ranging from quantum materials to sustainable agriculture, while fourteen young scientists were honoured with the Vigyan Yuva-Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar award, highlighting India’s focus on nurturing future scientific leaders. The sole Vigyan Team award went to the CSIR Aroma Mission, recognized for transforming aromatic crop cultivation across 60,000 hectares and significantly boosting rural livelihoods. The RVP scheme replaces 16 fragmented awards, offering a transparent, peer-reviewed selection process led by a 300-member committee chaired by the Principal Scientific Adviser. The awards consist of a sanad, citation, and a panchdhatu medal, symbolizing the unity of the five classical elements, with no cash prize. President Droupadi Murmu will confer the honours at Rashtrapati Bhavan on National Science Day, February 28, 2026. As India aspires to a $1 trillion research economy by 2047, the RVP underscores the nation’s resolve to place science at the core of its development vision.
