A total of around 1,900 destitute beneficiaries of Maulana Azad fellowship in 27 universities across India are left deprived of funds for more than three months.
Also, the proposed hike in the fellowship amount has not been implemented even after six months from declaration.
Under the MANF scheme, Junior Research Fellows (JRF) get Rs 31,000 per month and Senior Research Fellows (SRF) Rs 35,000 per month.
The stipend is revised every four years. It was in 2019, the last hike was introduced.
As per the norm, a new tariff was brought out in June 2023 by the Department of Science and Technology (DST).
While the researchers and doctoral students covered under fellowship from other ministries such as education, tribal affairs, and social justice and empowerment are getting the increased stipend following this order, the MANF fellows claim that they have not been made aware of any increase.
Like other government fellowships for Scheduled Caste, Other Backward Class for JRF and SRF, the MANF was supposed to abide by the office memorandum issued by the DST under the Ministry of Science and Technology dated 26 June, 2023
“According to a DST memorandum in 2019, the stipend of all fellowships is to be revised every four years. The sum was to be revised to Rs 37,000 (JRF) and Rs 42,000 (SRF). The stipend of research scholars under other central government fellowships has been revised. Why are MANF scheme beneficiaries being made to wait for so long?” Vishwakarma, president of the All India Research Scholars Association (AIRSA) — the body representing research scholars in India — told The Print.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here .