There was a fellowship scheme called Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship for ST students doing research in Indian Universities. It was/is being funded by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Govt. of India. From past one year it has been highly irregular. Months back when call for other schemes were announced, it was not. Recently, it has been revamped as National Fellowship for Higher Education of ST students and add is given in the UGC website (http://www.ugc.ac.in/ugc_schemes). Though the process has changed a bit, it got announced; tensed ST friends got solace but nothing great happened. Well, obviously name matters! And genuinely why Rajiv Gandhi's name should be everywhere that too in this Govt's time!
Recently, when I saw the new advertisement in the UGC website, I got surprised that it mentions "@ Rs.25,000/-pa for initial two years (for JRF) and @ Rs.28,000/-pa for remaining tenure (SRF) (http://www.ugc.ac.in/rgnfst/amount_fellowship.aspx)".
Earlier it was Rs. 25,000/Rs.28,000 per month for JRF and SRF respectively. Now it says PA (Per Annum). So, you are thinking that it might be a printing mistake right? Let's see another page then, and it mentions
"The payment of Fellowship to the selected students will be made on YEARLY basis, through the Direct Benefit Transfer system immediately after selection of the candidates (P6, http://www.ugc.ac.in/rgnfst/Downloads/rgnfst.pdf)".
Earlier it was MONTHLY. Now, this is adding more to the confusion. Do PA (Per Annum) and YEARLY converging together and sound something mysterious? Well, I am in doubt and I think UGC and Ministry of Tribal Affairs must clarify it soon.
Further, in a time when students are protesting about Non-Net fellowship where UGC and MHRD is trying to introduce some wired MERIT system for research scholars and news of fund cuts in education is rampant, this document speaks a lot too. For example this paragraph
"In case the number of candidates exceeds the number of available awards, priority will be give first to Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVGTs) (earlier called as Primitive Tribal Groups) followed by female candidates, then BPL candidates and the remaining ones on inter-se-merit (P2 http://www.ugc.ac.in/rgnfst/Downloads/rgnfst.pdf)".
I hope people will notice it and the funding bodies will clarify it soon. Or else this is one more repressive step in education by the system.
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why not nfst 2017-18 till date .. do you have any information please.. give reply......
ReplyDeleteWe are in urgent need of the money...please do release the fellowship asap...the service of ugc too late
ReplyDelete