AICTE YUVAK: Study Tour of Atal Tunnel, Himachal Pradesh

What is AICTE YUVAK (Study Tour of Atal Tunnel)?

AICTE YUVAK, Youth Undertaking Visit for Acquiring Knowledge; is a scheme of the All India Council for Technical Education under the Ministry of Education that funds engineering students to visit the Atal Tunnel in Himachal Pradesh as a live case study in civil and structural engineering. According to the AICTE scheme document, the tunnel is "an important and interesting case study for Civil, Mechanical and Structural Engineering students."

The Atal Tunnel, built under the Rohtang Pass on the Leh-Manali highway, is 9.02 km long. The world's longest highway tunnel above 10,000 feet (3,048 m) — and was inaugurated in October 2020. It reduces the Manali-to-Leh distance from 116 km to 71 km and was built using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method. The scheme gives students firsthand exposure to how such an engineering feat was executed across avalanche-prone, high-altitude terrain.

According to AICTE, the scheme provides a financial grant of up to Rs 2 lakh per team for a 3-day study tour by a team of 10 students and 1 faculty member from an eligible institution.

Key features

• Funds a 3-day study tour of the Atal Tunnel for engineering students.
• Grant of up to Rs 2,00,000 per team (Rs 1,70,000 for NRO/NWRO regions).
• Team of 10 students + 1 faculty member per institute.
• Selection based on NIRF ranking; limited institutions funded per year.

Who is eligible for the AICTE YUVAK study tour?

An institution can apply if:

• It is an AICTE-approved institution in technical education.
• It has a latest NIRF ranking between 001 and 500.

Students on the team must:

• Be regular 2nd or 3rd year B.E./B.Tech. or integrated M.Tech. students.
• Be from Civil, Mechanical or Structural Engineering disciplines.
• Have a minimum CGPA of 8.5 in the previous semester.

Who cannot apply:

• Individual students cannot apply: only the institution applies, and it nominates the team.
• Institutions without a NIRF ranking in the 001-500 band are not eligible.
• Students outside the specified disciplines or year, or below 8.5 CGPA, cannot be part of the funded team.

Each institute may send only one team, and only one proposal per institute is accepted during the scheme.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the AICTE YUVAK study tour

1. The eligible institution confirms it holds a NIRF ranking between 001 and 500 and identifies 10 qualifying students and 1 faculty member.
2. The institution submits the application online through AICTE when the scheme window is open.
3. AICTE screens applications at the Council level and selects institutions on the basis of NIRF ranking to 25 from NRO/NWRO regions and 75 from other regions in a financial year.
4. Selected institutions receive an offer letter by email; AICTE releases 50% of the grant on receipt of the finalised itinerary.
5. After the tour, the institution submits a tour report and CA-audited Utilization Certificate within one month to claim the balance.

How much benefit does YUVAK provide?

The total grant is Rs 2,00,000 for institutions in most regions and Rs 1,70,000 for institutions in the NRO and NWRO regions. According to the AICTE document, it is broken up as:

• Train fare (institute to Chandigarh and back): Rs 60,000 (other regions) / Rs 30,000 (NRO & NWRO).
• Transport (Chandigarh to Manali, including tunnel visits, and back): Rs 30,000.
• Boarding, lodging and incidentals at Manali for 3 days: Rs 1,10,000.

AICTE releases 50% up front and the balance after the audited Utilization Certificate, restricted to 50% of the grant or (total expenditure minus grant already paid), whichever is less.

Help and contact

• AICTE: 011-2958 1050 to 1000
• Official website: aicte.gov.in (Student Development Schemes)

YUVAK is an experiential-learning grant for institutions, not a personal scholarship. Its value lies in exposing high-performing engineering students to a landmark infrastructure project to build research and innovation culture in technical education.