Maharashtra government is looking to drastically cut down the number of fellowships awarded to research scholars belonging to marginalised communities of the state.
At a meeting with officials from various government departments held in Mantralaya around two months ago, the state chief secretary Manoj Saunik had directed to limit the number of fellowships to 400 - 200 for Scheduled Caste (SC), 100 for Scheduled Tribe (ST) and 50 each for Other Backward Caste (OBC) and Maratha students - show the minutes of the meeting accessed by FPJ. This is a sharp reduction from around 3,000 fellowships given to these students in the last cycle.
Under the fellowship schemes, the marginalised students pursuing PhD get a monthly stipend of Rs 31,000 for the first two years and Rs 35,000 per month for another three years. The government's autonomous four autonomous organisations, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Research and Training Institute (BARTI), Tribal Research and Training Institute (TRTI), Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Research & Training Institute (MAHAJYOTI) and Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Research, Training and Human Development Institute (SARTHI), provide the fellowships to SCs, STs, OBCs and Marathas, respectively.
More Beneficiaries Over The Years
Over the years there has been substantial growth in beneficiaries, much more than the actual number of fellowships sanctioned, due to persistent demand from students. For example, BARTI last year awarded 861 fellowships to SC scholars even though it had advertised for only 200 spots. The number of beneficiaries of the scheme was merely 15 a decade ago in 2013. Similarly, MAHAJYOTI had last year approved 1,236 OBC candidates for its fellowship programme. This is almost twice the 648 approvals in 2021 and six times the sanctioned 200 fellowships. The number of ST and Maratha beneficiaries was 851 and 146 respectively.
"The government was forced to increase the fellowships as the applicants held prolonged protests. While there should be some limit on the number of beneficiaries, the quantity proposed by the state is grossly inadequate considering the large enrollment of marginalised students in research programmes. As most of these students are first-generation learners, the fellowship is essential for their education," said Kuldeep Ambekar, President, Student Helping Hands, a Pune-based student organisation.
While the state government is yet to make a final decision, MAHAJYOTI has asked for the number of beneficiaries to be increased. "Following the meeting in Mantralaya, our Board of Directors had a meeting where it was decided to propose 400 fellowships. We have sent the proposal to government around a fortnight ago," said MAHAJYOTI Director Rajesh Khawale.
