Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar 2025 winners list announced by the Government of India. Prof. Jayant Vishnu Narlikar received the Vigyan Ratna posthumously and CSIR Aroma Mission won the Vigyan Team Award. Know categories, domains and importance for competitive exams.
Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar 2025 winners announced: India honours scientific excellence
In a landmark move to celebrate and reinforce scientific innovation in the country, the Government of India has announced the winners of the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar (RVP) 2025 — a national recognition aimed at outstanding contributions in science, technology and innovation. The awards are presented in four categories: Vigyan Ratna for lifetime achievement, Vigyan Shri for distinguished contributions, Vigyan Yuva – Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar (VY-SSB) for young scientists below 45 years and Vigyan Team for collaborative group efforts.
Key winners across categories
In the 2025 edition:
- The Vigyan Ratna has been awarded posthumously to renowned astrophysicist Jayant Vishnu Narlikar for his lifetime contributions to theoretical astrophysics and cosmology.
- The Vigyan Shri honours include scientists from various domains such as agricultural science (Dr. Gyanendra Pratap Singh), atomic energy (Dr. Yusuf Mohammad Seikh), biological sciences (Dr. K. Thangaraj), chemistry (Prof. Pradeep Thalappil), engineering (Prof. Aniruddha Bhalchandra Pandit), environmental science (Dr. S. Venkata Mohan), mathematics & computer science (Prof. Mahan MJ), and space science & technology (Shri Jayan N).
- For the Vigyan Yuva – the young scientist category – several remarkable researchers have been recognised. They span fields like agricultural science, biological sciences, chemistry, earth science, engineering, mathematics & computer science, medicine, physics and space science & technology.
- The Vigyan Team award has gone to the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)’s “Aroma Mission” team operating in agricultural science.
Why this matters for India’s science & innovation ecosystem
The Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar 2025 reaffirms India’s intent to foster a scientific culture, honour meritorious research, and motivate both individuals and teams working in oft-under-recognised domains. With 13 domains covered — including physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, medicine, agriculture, space and more — the awards send a strong signal about the broad span of science and the government’s support for its advancement.
Implications for students preparing for competitive exams
For aspirants of civil services (like IAS / PCS), banking, railways, teaching and defence, this announcement carries multiple layers of relevance:
- It is a current-affairs topic: the winners, award categories, and the institution of the award itself may appear in objective or descriptive questions.
- It highlights India’s science policy direction — understanding the award categories, the domains, and the government’s goal of promoting innovation can help in essay and general studies sections, especially GS Paper III (Science & Technology) or GS Paper II (Polity & Governance).
- It provides factual fodder: names, categories, fields — these may form part of fact-based questions in prelims.
Why This News is Important
Encouragement of scientific excellence
The Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar 2025 represents a major step by India to recognise researchers and innovators across a wide spectrum of fields. By publicly acknowledging outstanding scientific achievement — from lifetime contributions to young scientists and collaborative teams — the government underscores the importance of science and technology as engines of national development.
Strategic importance for national development
In an era where global competitiveness in technology, innovation and research is intensifying, such awards reflect the nation’s intent to build a vibrant research ecosystem. For students of competitive exams, recognising this move helps understand the link between policy, encouragement of research, and broader goals like “Atmanirbhar Bharat” (self-reliant India) or India’s role in the global knowledge economy.
Relevance to exam syllabus and current affairs
From a curriculum perspective, this news connects with multiple themes: science and technology policy, national awards and honours, collaborative research initiatives, and the structure of scientific recognition in India. Exam-oriented study often emphasises not only what was done, but why it matters, and here the announcement ties into strengthening India’s scientific capacity for long-term growth.
Historical Context
The Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar (RVP) was instituted in recent years as a high-level recognition of scientific and technological achievement in India. According to sources, the award was announced in 2024 and the first edition of awardees was given in the same year.
The four categories — Vigyan Ratna, Vigyan Shri, Vigyan Yuva and Vigyan Team — cover different levels and types of contribution: lifetime achievement, distinguished individual contributions, young researchers and team or collaborative efforts.
Over the years, India’s science award ecosystem has included prestigious honours such as the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, among others. The RVP builds on that tradition but with an explicit emphasis on innovation, cross-disciplinary fields and teamwork. The 2025 list also marks the expansion of recognised domains — 13 scientific domains are covered including agriculture, environment, space, technology and innovation.
Recognition of the late Jayant Vishnu Narlikar as the first Vigyan Ratna in 2025 also draws attention to India’s legacy of high-end theoretical science and acknowledges the importance of foundational research, not just applied work.
Key Takeaways from Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar 2025
| S. No | Key Takeaway |
|---|---|
| 1 | The Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar 2025 recognises achievements in science, technology and innovation across 13 domains. |
| 2 | Four categories of awards: Vigyan Ratna (lifetime), Vigyan Shri (distinguished), Vigyan Yuva-SSB (young scientists), Vigyan Team (collaborative teams). |
| 3 | Prof. Jayant Vishnu Narlikar was awarded the Vigyan Ratna (posthumously) for his lifetime contributions to astrophysics. |
| 4 | The Vigyan Team Award for 2025 was won by CSIR’s Aroma Mission team in agricultural science, emphasising collaborative innovation. |
| 5 | Many of the awardees are affiliated with premier institutions (e.g., three from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras) reflecting the institutional strength of India’s research ecosystem. |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar (RVP)?
The Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar is a national-level award instituted by the Government of India to honour outstanding contributions in science, technology, and innovation across multiple disciplines.
2. When was the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar 2025 announced?
The winners of the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar 2025 were officially announced in October 2025 by the Ministry of Science and Technology.
3. What are the four categories under the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar?
The four categories are — Vigyan Ratna (for lifetime achievement), Vigyan Shri (for distinguished contributions), Vigyan Yuva – Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar (for young scientists), and Vigyan Team (for collaborative research efforts).
4. Who received the Vigyan Ratna award in 2025?
The Vigyan Ratna 2025 was awarded posthumously to astrophysicist Professor Jayant Vishnu Narlikar for his pioneering contributions to theoretical astrophysics and cosmology.
5. Which institution’s team won the Vigyan Team award in 2025?
The CSIR Aroma Mission team received the Vigyan Team Award for its research in agricultural science and rural innovation.
6. Which ministry organises the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar?
The awards are coordinated by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, with support from major scientific agencies and research councils.
7. How many scientific domains are covered under these awards?
The Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar covers 13 scientific domains, including physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, engineering, agriculture, environment, mathematics, and space science.
8. Why is this award significant for competitive exam aspirants?
It is relevant for General Studies (Science & Technology), national awards, and current affairs sections of exams like UPSC, PSC, SSC, Banking, Defence, and Teaching.
9. How does the RVP differ from the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize?
While the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize recognises research excellence primarily in science, the RVP includes a wider scope — covering innovation, teamwork, and interdisciplinary applications.
10. How can students remember this topic for exams?
Aspirants should memorise the award categories, winner names (especially Jayant Vishnu Narlikar and CSIR Aroma Mission), and note its relevance to India’s scientific policy and innovation ecosystem.
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