PhD students not getting top fellowship stipend for months
For almost three months, some of the best PhD students in the country are awaiting their stipend promised under the newly-introduced Prime Minister Research Fellowship (PMRF) scheme.
The cream of students hand-picked for direct PhD admission from elite research institutes such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs), Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research were to get Rs 70,000-80,000 per month as stipend for four to five years from July this year. These researchers are also eligible to get Rs 2 lakh as research grant every year for the tenure of the fellowship. Normally, PhD students from such institutes get a stipend of only Rs 25,000.
“Most of us have been waiting for the stipend. Because we were selected under this scheme, we are not even eligible to get the regular stipend of Rs 25,000. It is difficult to survive without the stipend for so long. It is difficult for us to borrow from our parents at this age,” said a student from IIT-Bombay. There are around 20 beneficiaries from the Powai campus itself. Many are desperate and are now planning to seek information under the RTI Act.
HRD secretary (higher education) R Subrahmanyam said the ministry has released Rs 7.8 crore this week for the research fellowships (PMRF). He added that there was a delay in releasing the funds as the scheme was in its first year. “All the students will get their stipend in a week’s time,” said the secretary.
Another student said the scheme was promoted through faculties within the institutes. “It was basically aimed at encouraging more students to carry out research in the country. Most good students end up going to universities abroad after their BTech and MTech to pursue research. We are now worried about the funding,” said the student. Some of the conditions laid down are stringent too, added the student. “If we discontinue research midway for any reason, we are expected to return the stipend money. It is not the same for other PhD students,” he said.
From all over the country, 135 students were selected for the first batch of the scheme. A few students from IIT-Kanpur confirmed that they got the stipend for the last two months. One of them said they probably got the grants from the institute’s coffers. Most students, including the ones from IITBombay, however, are yet to get their stipend. Since fewer students had applied the first time, the Union human resources development ministry has extended the benefits of the scheme to all BTech and MTech students from other universities for the May 2019 selection process.
Source | Times of India | 6th October 2018
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