Once upon a time the NIT, Rourkela (NITR) was in news for the dispute between its Board of Governors Chairperson Vasantha Ramaswamy and Director SK Sarangi. Now, it is drawing flak for depriving certain research scholars of the hiked fellowship fee as declared by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) on February 18, 2015.
It may be mentioned that the NIT, Rourkela has been extending research (PhD.) facilities for MTech, MPharm, BTech, BPharm, MSc, MA, MCom, MBA, MCA and MBBS with valid GATE or NET or GPAT score only. Similarly, MTech facilities for BTech, BPharm, MBA, MSc, MCA, MBBS, MCom and MA with valid GATE or NET or GPAT score only.
Earlier, the fellowship fee for PhD students per month was Rs16,000 for first two months and Rs18,000 for next three years. After the MHRD notification, the amounts are revised to Rs25,000 and Rs28,000. Similarly, the fellowship for MTech students is hiked from Rs8,000 to Rs12,400. The MHRD has made this common to all NITs, IITs and all AICTE and Centrally-funded institutes.
But in the NIT, Rourkela’s BoG meeting of March 21, 2015, it was decided to give fellowship to the PhD and MTech students from February 2015 except the PhD. students from MA, MCom and MBA categories whose numbers are about 18. It was pretended that the MHRD letter is silent over those categories of students and that after due clarification from the Ministry the next decision would be taken. Hence, the matter was kept for discussion in next meeting.
Moreover, the arrears of other students from October 2014 to January 2015 were not paid with a plea of getting clarification and fund from the MHRD.
Though in one way these students were deprived of their genuine rights on the plea of clarification from the MHRD, in another way the NITs and IITs disbursed the hiked amount basing on the MHRD letter. Surprisingly at its 32nd finance committee meeting held in Bhubaneswar on June 19, 2015, it was resolved that as the other NITs are paying the hiked fellowship after the MHRD letter so the NITR should pay it.
But since then, BoG meeting is not held due to the dispute between the Director and the Chairperson and the students are still deprived. So, the question is if other NITs and IITs without any hesitation followed the the MHRD instruction instantly where was the problem for NITR if it could consider it for other category students.
For the neglect of the NIT, Rourkela authorities, each one of the 18 students are losing a minimum of Rs9,000 per month since last 19 months, and about Rs1,000 PhD and MTech students are yet to get their enhanced fee from October 2014 to January 2015.
Now as the Chairperson and the Director have already tendered their resignations after the instruction of the MHRD and the Registrar has not yet become fully functional, the fate of these students still hangs in balance. Similarly as per the fresh notification the students from those categories who will enrol will get the old emoluments despite the Finance Committee resolution, whereas in other NITs and IITs they will be getting in hiked amount.