Hopefully, monetary crices faced by humanities and socal science researchers will also be given due attention by the HRD Ministry soon.
Delhi, Oct. 21: The Centre, responding to months of petitions by students, today announced hikes in fellowships for scholars pursuing PhD or post-doctoral studies in sciences, pledging at least 50 per cent jumps across all research scholar positions. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1141022/jsp/nation/story_18951780.jsp Union science and technology minister Jitendra Singh, providing details of the proposed changes, said scholars entering PhD will now receive a fellowship of Rs 25,000 per month instead of Rs 16,000 per month. The Union finance ministry approved the enhancement in fellowships after examining the recommendations of an inter-ministerial meeting and its budgetary implications, Singh said. After two years of successful PhD work, the scholars will be paid Rs 28,000 per month instead of the current amount of Rs 18,000. Post-doctoral scholars will also receive increased fellowships (see chart). Singh said the new levels would become effective from October 1. Several government agencies such as the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Department of Science and Technology (DST), Department of Biotechnology, Indian Council of Medical Research and the Department of Atomic Energy that support PhD scholars are expected to implement the new fellowships. About 6,000 post-graduates are selected for PhD fellowships each year through entrance examinations conducted by the CSIR and other scientific agencies. After PhD, scholars can take up positions of research associates. "It is really great to hear this," said Giselle Fernandes, a PhD scholar at the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bangalore, who is trying to determine how enriched experiences and stress can influence memories. "Many of us join PhD with great enthusiasm, but when you start living on your own, it hits some of us hard, especially those who have to support families," she told The Telegraph. The Centre had last enhanced fellowship for PhD scholars in 2007 and students had since July this year intensified campaigns to convince the government to increase the amounts. Scholars from several institutions had met with minister Singh and senior DST officials. In their petitions submitted to the DST, representatives of scholars had pointed out that technical assistants who help PhD scholars in research activities get Rs 27,000 per month while laboratory assistants receive Rs 22,000. "This is a fresh start -- but we had also asked for an annual increase to keep in step with inflation that seems missing in the new order," said Anjali Khatri, a fourth-year PhD scholar at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi. Sections of senior faculty say the enhanced fellowships have been long overdue. "What they've been receiving is embarrassingly low," said Sumantra Chattarji, a senior scientist at the NCBS. "Some premier institutions can try and make up through subsidised food and reasonably good hostel accommodation, but many scholars still find the going tough, particularly in universities." The enhanced fellowships are still much lower than what scholars will receive if they choose to pursue PhD or post-doctoral studies outside India. In the US, for instance, a PhD student could expect to receive $2400 (Rs 1.47 lakh) per month at a leading university, while a post-doctoral fellowship would pay $3000 per month. But faculty members point out that such figures are not easily comparable given the differences between the costs of living in India and the US. "But such 50 per cent increases in fellowships would be unthinkable in the US," said Akhilesh Pandey, a senior biologist at the Johns Hopkins University. "This will be good for science which has traditionally been portrayed as something for which you need to sacrifice -- why should young research scholars be made to think that way? They should do science and get paid well," said Pandey, who is also the founder of the Institute of Bioinformatics, a private research laboratory in Bangalore. Senior scientists say the big challenge would be to try to get Indian PhD-holders to return home to India and do post-doctoral research here. "That challenge will remain even now," a senior scientist said. The science and technology minister said he had directed the DST to put in place a mechanism for regular evaluation of fellowship levels and to suggest periodic changes. Under existing rules, all research scholars are provided hostel accommodation or paid a house rent allowance where accommodation is not available. They are also typically paid a medical allowance. -- Avinash Shahi Doctoral student at Centre for Law and Governance JNU Clean India Campaign: Let us also chip in! 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