In a pre-Diwali bonanza, the Government on Tuesday announced a quantum hike in fellowship of research scholars, which would be in addition to entitlements enjoyed by them such as house rent and medical benefits.
With the across-the-board hike, a junior research fellow will get `25,000 per month, a jump of `9,000 per month. likewise, a senior research fellow will get `28,000 per month, a hike of `10,000.
The hike in case of a research associate (grade I) will be from `22,000 to `36,000 per month, in case of research associate (grade II) it will be from `23,000 to `38,000 per month and for research associate (grade III) the hike will be from `24,000 to `40,000, said Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh told reporters.
The hike, which comes into effect from this month itself, follows prolonged protests by various research scholars demanding revision in scholarship amount. The decision will put an additional burden of about `750 crore on the exchequer.
The hike caps a prolonged protest by researchers in premier institutions, including the Indian Institute of Science, IISERs, IITs, JNU, CSIR institutes, NIT, NCBS, AIIMS, who had complained about a discouraging research environment with lack of funding and delays in payment.