50% Hike In Fellowship Amount For Research Scientists

50% Hike In Fellowship Amount For Research Scientists

Young research scholars and scientists will be receiving a hike of over 50% in the fellowship amount in diverse categories following an announcement by the Central Government regarding the same. The fellowship amounts are as follows for different categories. For Research Associate-III, the fellowship amount has been hiked from INR 24,000 to 40,000. Research Associate-II will now get Rs, 38,000 per month as against Rs. 23,000. Research Associate-I fellowship amount has been increased to INR 36,000 from 22,000. Senior Research Fellows will now get a stipend of Rs. 28,000 as against 18,000. JRF or Junior Research Fellows will now receive Rs.25,000 per month as against 16,000 per month.

Additionally, the HRA or House Rent Allowance as well as medical benefits will be available to different categories of Research Scholars depending upon whether Central Government norms or those of host institutions are applicable. Travel entitlement for AC-2 or 3 tier will depend on the category of Research Fellow/Associate. Maternity leave for lady research scholars will also be available for the different categories of research fellows.

Directions from the Central government have also been issued to the Ministry of Science and Technology for putting together the “web-based fellowship assessment and disbursement mechanism” to prevent delays in disbursement of the fellowship money. The Union Minister of State for Science and Technology has announced this latest move following FM Arun Jaitley's acceptance of the proposal for the hike. "Each ministry and agency can now use the guidelines to make requisite changes over their specific fellowship programmes", the minister was quoted by the media as saying.

A suggestion has also been taken that the hike in fellowship amount should be reviewed periodically following due assessment. A proper mechanism for this must be initiated and the ministry is already working to put this into place as well. The last fellowship hike for research scholars has been implemented in 2010 and students have been demanding a hike in the research stipend for some time now.

For many, the chance to conduct research is the chance to serve the nation and humanity. Science has so many solutions for the different problems that ail our nation. Bitter pills are needed, but so are research initiatives and the government could do well to support this further by making research an attractive career option.

Linking the stipend increase to inflation should be the next move. Monthly emoluments as well as other perks for the research scholars and scientists have risen to satisfactory amounts, the general secretary of academic affairs, post graduate students at IIT-Bombay, S. Badjate has been quoted as saying, according to media reports. Perhaps the master's student stipends should also be considered during the hike. Annual contingency to research scholars may also be beneficial. Through well timed measures, research in India can experience a revival.