Shashi Tharoor criticises delayed govt response to concerns about non-NET PhD stipend

 

November 15, 2024 New DElhi

Shashi Tharoor criticises delayed govt response to concerns about non-NET PhD stipend 

Shashi Tharoor questioned how are the non-National Eligibility Test (NET) PhD fellows expected to live on the same ₹8,000 that their predecessors were getting in 2012

Congress lawmaker and Member of Parliament Dr. Shashi Tharoor

Congress lawmaker Shashi Tharoor has criticised the government for “minimal governance, less than minimal responsiveness” after receiving a response without a timeline for addressing concerns he raised 11 months earlier about the non-National Eligibility Test (NET) PhD fellowship stipend in Parliament in 2023.

Congress M P  Shashi Tharoor . “Would concerned citizens care to look at the issue I raised in Parliament last year and the reply that has come 11 months later from the Union Minister of state for education Sukanta Majumdar? Can anyone find therein an answer to the question I raised — why has the Non-NET PhD Fellowship stipend not been raised since 2012?” Tharoor asked in a tweet on Thursday.

Tharoor, who attached Majumdar’s response, questioned how are the fellows expected to live on the same ₹8,000 that their predecessors were getting in 2012? “Has this government not heard of inflation? In fact the value of the stipend has eroded even further since I asked the question in the last fiscal year!”

In his intervention on the stipend in Parliament in December 2023, Tharoor noted that non-NET PhD fellows receive a monthly ₹8,000 stipend and a contingency of ₹10,000 annually for science subjects and ₹8,000 for humanities and social sciences. This stipend has remained unchanged for over a decade unlike other fellowship programmes revised periodically.

Tharoor underlined the financial strain researchers face due to the lack of a stipend revision. “UGC [University Grants Commission] is responsible for ensuring a conducive environment for scholars to conduct research. However, delayed revisions have imposed a financial burden due to the rise in inflation rates and living costs, impacting their daily lives and their commitment to impactful research,” Tharoor said in Parliament. He raised concerns about insufficient resources and infrastructure at research institutes and the lack of support from supervisors.

Union Minister of state for education Sukanta Majumdar

Majumdar responded to Tharoor acknowledging the concerns. “The matter has been duly examined in consultation with the University Grants Commission and other relevant authorities. The Government is mindful of the challenges faced by research scholars and will continue to review the matter for necessary action.”

Majumdar did not provide a specific timeline for revising the stipend or details on steps being taken to address the issue.

The UGC in November 2022 discontinued the MPhil programme in line with the National Education Policy 2020. In December 2023, it reiterated that universities should cease admitting students to MPhil.

Candidates with four-year undergraduate degrees and at least 75% marks or equivalent grades are now eligible for PhD. The National Testing Agency conducts the NET twice a year to recruit assistant professors for colleges and universities as well as to award the Junior Research Fellowship for a stipend of ₹37,000 monthly.