JRF, SRF fellowship hike of about 20% disappoint researchers, protests to continue

According to the revision, a junior research fellow will receive Rs 37,000 monthly, up from Rs 31,000, and a senior research fellow will receive Rs 42,000, up from Rs 35,000. The last revision was made in 2019.

On August 29, 2022, the All India Research Scholars Association (AIRSA) requested the DST for a fellowship hike for research scholars, including JRF, SRF, and research associates, as well as automatic upgradation of stipends every four years. Among the many demands was a stipend hike by 60% in accordance with rising inflation and institutional expenses, and an increase in the non-NET fellowships, which have remained at Rs 8,000 since 2006.

Another reminder was sent in May, followed by the latest reminder on June 1. With the revised stipend failing to meet their demands, the AISRA has requested a meeting with the DST.

“We believe this matter can be solved through dialogue. We have explained our demands. If they have any logic to not comply with the 60% raise, we will listen to them too,” said AIRSA President Lal Chandra Vishwakarma, a former PhD scholar from All India Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi.

DST Secretary Dr S Chandrashekar did not respond to requests for comment on whether the Union Government is open to dialogue with scholars and further revision of stipends.

The issue of non-NET fellowships has been an ongoing concern. Month-long protests and signature campaigns have been organised by research fellows from central universities like Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). “Fellowship stipends are revised once every four years. Keeping the yearly inflation in mind, we came up with a 60% hike in our demand,” said Aniruddha Kumar Sharma, a PhD scholar at IIT Roorkee.

The JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU) approached the University Grants Commission (UGC) on June 15. “The demand has always been there, but during the pandemic, we witnessed inflation and irregularities in fellowship stipends across state and central universities, so we approached the UGC for all kinds of fellowships, including the non-NET ones,” said JNUSU President Aishe Ghosh.

“As a non-NET scholar, we do the same work as a JRF, but we only receive Rs 8,000 per month,” said Khyati Singh, a PhD scholar at the School of International Studies, JNU. Singh said non-NET scholars receive only Rs 5,000 per month for the first two years, and it is only after the approval of the synopsis that they become eligible to receive Rs 8,000.

“But how can one survive with just Rs 5,000? I have rent to pay and coursework to do. The stipend is also not released timely,” Singh said. Singh told The Indian Express that a non-NET scholar is prohibited from working, as they would be classified as an earning scholar, rendering them ineligible for a stipend. “It is like a two-edged sword for students; whatever we do, it will backfire,” Singh said.

“The non-NET fellowship is discriminatory. It is difficult to survive in a city like Hyderabad with just Rs 8,000 a month,” said Debantika Das, PhD scholar at the University of Hyderabad. “I am under a lot of stress because I keep searching for a remote job to sustain my research and because of that I am not even able to focus well on my PhD,” said Das.

“We have requested DST for an open discussion, and failing to do so, we will call for a nationwide shutdown on June 30, by all research scholars and in all labs,” Vishwakarma told The Indian Express.