PRAYAGRAJ, Oct. 11 -- Students of government schools in smaller districts of UP are aspiring to achieve academic milestones. This growing ambition is reflected in the latest figures for the National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme (NMMSS) examination for 2026-27 where students from these districts have submitted the highest number of applications, say officials from the state secondary education department. A total of 10,469 online applications have been received for the examination scheduled for November 9, with robust participation coming from districts such as Aligarh, Kaushambi, Bulandshahr and Jaunpur-placing them among the top five in terms of applications, alongside Prayagraj. Looking at the year-wise trend, the number of applicants has remained consistently high, with 1,57,381 students applying in 2025, 1,57,013 in 2024, 1,88,227 in 2023, and 1,79,971 in 2022. This marks a significant jump from 2021, which saw only 38,837 applications. Eligibility requires students to have passed Class 7 in the 2024-25 academic session with a minimum of 55% marks (with a 5% relaxation for SC/ST students) and currently be enrolled in Class 8 in government-run, government-aided or local body (parishad) schools. The annual income of the candidate's parents must not exceed Rs.3.5 lakh. A total of 15,143 meritorious students from UP who clear the examination will receive a scholarship of Rs.1,000 per month-or Rs.12,000 annually-to support their studies from Classes 9 to 12. Anil Bhushan Chaturvedi, secretary of Prayagraj-based UP Examination Regulatory Authority, confirmed that preparations for the scholarship exam are currently underway. Among the larger districts, application figures show Ayodhya received 3,789 applications, followed by Bareilly with 3,372, Agra with 2,914, Kanpur Nagar with 2,789, Gorakhpur with 2,700, Varanasi with 2,662, Lucknow with 2,627, Pratapgarh with 1,706, and Meerut with 1,678. Leading the state, Aligarh topped the list with 10,469 applications, followed by Kaushambi with 5,698, Prayagraj with 4,206, Bulandshahr with 4,134 and Jaunpur with 4,058. Districts with the fewest applications include Shravasti (344), Shamli (493), Baghpat (606), Mahoba (661) and Balrampur (808)....