IISc research scholars intensify countrywide stipend hike movement, write to PM

BENGALURU: As many as 300 research scholars at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore on Thursday wrote postcards to Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighting their demand for hike in stipend.


"The Prime Minister's research fellowship scheme caters to only a few students and many are left out. Please look into the matter," stated one of the postcards.

Gaurav Solra

, general secretary,

IISc Students' Council

, said: "As per the UGC norms, a JRF scholar gets Rs 25,000 a month and SRF scholar Rs 28,000. Whereas it should be Rs 50,000 and Rs 56,000, respectively after revision."

Currently, there are 3,900 students, of which 2,500 are PhD students and 1,400 master's and undergraduate students.

They demanded inflation-based annual revision in stipend and its timely disbursal. The last hike was in 2014 when the government increased it from Rs 16,000 to Rs 25,000 for JRFs and from Rs 18,000 to 28,000 for SRFs.

Another round of signature campaign and post card writing was followed at IISc in evening too.

On other hand, research scholars from the

International Centre for Theoretical Sciences

, TIFR, Bengaluru, have also petitioned to the department of atomic energy, ministry of human resource development and to the principal scientific advisor to government of India seeking revision of the fellowship amount.

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