3 min readPuneAug 26, 2024 11:44 PM IST
First published on: Aug 26, 2024 at 11:33 PM IST
The Maharashtra Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday, announced 100 per cent scholarship for 763 PhD scholars of the Babasaheb Ambedkar Training and Research Institute (BARTI) in Pune, a decision that was welcomed by the institute’s students, who had been protesting for the demand for the last two years. The Cabinet approved Rs 37 crore for the scholarships.
A Cabinet meeting on June 28 had decided that students who qualified for research grants before October 30, 2023 in various institute’s of the Social Justice Department would be given only 50 per cent of the grant, drawing protests from BARTI scholars.
BARTI’s 2022 batch had long been protesting over its demand for granting fellowships to all eligible applicants, as opposed to the 200 cap set by the state government in October 2023, saying it cannot be applied retrospectively.
On August 14, students participated in a protest in which they shaved their heads in front of BARTI’s office. Two students had also started a fast-unto-death on August 5.
A few days before that, around 200 students had gathered at BARTI’s office and boycotted the document verification process to avail fellowships. They had burnt copies of the GR, which stated that they will only receive 50 per cent of the grant. Some students had written to the chief minister, warning of self-immolation.
On July 21, students of SARTHI (Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Research, Training and Human Development institute), BARTI and MAHAJYOTI (Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Research and Training Institute) gathered in Mumbai after a long march to meet political leaders to resolve the issue.
On January 10 this year, after protesting for 110 days opposing the 200 cap, some applicants announced a boycott of the Common Entrance Test (CET) for fellowships granted by BARTI, SARTHI, TRTI (Tribal Research and Training Institute) and MAHAJYOTI. Over 3,400 students were expected to sit for it in four cities.
“Research is very important for the overall development of the country. And it is equally important that the government spends money through fellowships with a special focus on research students. A fellowship is essential for providing the necessary services to students if research of the highest quality is to be produced. The government had reduced the student intake as well. We fought continuously for two years and now we have got our rightful hundred per cent fellowship. We will certainly make good use of this fellowship and contribute to the development of society and the country through our research,” Mangesh Dutonde, a PhD research student at BARTI, said.
On August 14, students participated in a protest in which they shaved their heads in front of BARTI’s office. Two students had also started a fast-unto-death on August 5. (File Photo) 
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