The University Grants Commission (UGC) offers financial support to students and research scholars in higher education through various scholarship and fellowship programmes. Conventionally, UGC awards the National Eligibility
Test (NET)-Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) to M.Phil and PhD students every year based on their performance in the NET. A junior research fellow gets Rs 25,000 per month. Presently, about 9,000 students are pursuing MPhil and PhD with NET-JRF assistance.
The non-NET fellowship was introduced in 2006 and all research scholars who have not qualified for NET-JRF are also eligible for a non-NET fellowship, subject to selection by the university concerned. About 35,000 students are presently covered under these fellowships. While an M Phil student gets Rs 5,000 a month as stipend; a PhD student gets Rs 8,000.
But the Commission on October 7, 2015 had resolved to discontinue the scheme of non-NET contending that the fellowship programme was discriminatory in nature and lacked uniformity among universities in the selection process. The commission also cited shortage of funds as the reason behind inability to provide fellowships, triggering continued protests till date by the students from universities across Delhi demanding that the decision be revoked.
With continued protests, the PMO had stepped in on October 23 and sought a report on the subject following which the HRD Ministry asked the UGC to assure agitating students that the decision would be referred to an expert panel.
On October 25, the HRD Minister announced on Twitter that the non-NET fellowship would not be scrapped, and that her Ministry would form a panel to also bring students of state universities within its ambit. The HRD Ministry issued formal orders to UGC to cancel its October 7 decision too.
Students however have refused to end their agitation alleging that the HRD Ministry formed expert committee has been asked to consider economic and other criteria for eligibility for non-NET scholarships.
The matter also was raised during the Winter Session of the Parliament.