IISERs urge government to make them part of PMRF scheme

IISERs want that students eligible for the fellowship should also be able to pursue their Ph.D with them. The Cabinet recently approved Rs 1,650 crore for a period of seven years beginning 2018-19 for PMRF.

IISERs urge govt to make them part of PMRF scheme

According to government sources, IISER, Pune, had already written to the government, ahead of Tuesday’s meeting, on the institute’s inclusion in PMRF.

Unhappy over their exclusion, the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) have urged the government to make them a part of the newly launched Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship (PMRF) scheme that offers high stipends to students keen on pursuing research at the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institute of Science (IISc).

The matter was raised at the meeting of the President with heads of IITs, IISc and IISERs, The Indian Express has learnt.

According to government sources, IISER, Pune, had already written to the government, ahead of Tuesday’s meeting, proposing the institute’s inclusion in PMRF. In other words, the institute wants students eligible for the fellowship be able to pursue their Ph.D with IISERs as well.

The union cabinet recently approved Rs 1,650 crore for a period of seven years beginning 2018-19 for PMRF. Under this scheme, the students who in the last five years have completed or are in the final year of B.Tech or Integrated M.Tech or M.Sc. in science and technology streams from IISc, IITs, NITs, IISERs and IIITs, with atleast 8.0 CGPA, will be offered direct admission in Ph.D programme in the IITs and IISc, after going through the selection process.

Those selected will get a fellowship of Rs 70,000 every month for the first two years, Rs 75,000 each month in the third year and Rs 80,000 in the fourth and fifth years.

Although the government has taken note of the IISERs’ request, sources told The Indian Express that there may not be an immediate change in the scheme considering it was approved recently by the Cabinet.

At Tuesday’s meeting, HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar announced Rs 1,000 crore for the second phase of the Impacting Research Innovoation and Technology (IMPRINT) India programme, which aims to fund solutions to engineering challenges faced by the country.