Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday criticised the Centre's response to his Parliament questions on UGC-NET qualifiers, Junior Research Fellowships (JRFs) and research funding, calling it "a disappointing answer." He said the Ministry of Education had failed to address the concerns he raised during the ongoing Monsoon Session.
According to Tharoor, the ministry provided only a broad overview of the existing fellowship framework instead of answering his specific questions on the widening gap between UGC-NET qualifiers and JRF awardees, as well as the long-pending revision of the UGC Non-NET Fellowship stipend.
Taking to X, the Thiruvananthapuram MP expressed his disappointment, writing, "The Ministry's response merely provides a broad overview of the existing UGC fellowship framework; it fails to address the core concerns raised."
What Tharoor Asked
In Parliament, Tharoor sought year-wise data for the last five years on: The number of candidates qualifying the UGC-NET examination, the number of Junior Research Fellowships (JRFs) awarded and the proportion of qualified candidates who received JRFs.
He also asked whether the government had examined the widening disparity between UGC-NET qualifiers and JRF recipients, whether it planned to increase JRF slots or revise the eligibility criteria, and whether it intended to revise the UGC Non-NET Fellowship stipend, which has remained unchanged at Rs 8,000 per month since 2006. He noted that he had raised the issue during a Zero Hour intervention in 2023 but received neither an assurance nor a timeline for its revision.
Ministry's Response
Responding on behalf of the Ministry of Education, Union Minister of State for Education Dr Sukanta Majumdar largely outlined the existing fellowship framework rather than directly addressing the questions raised.
The ministry said the University Grants Commission (UGC) awards Junior Research Fellowships through the National Eligibility Test (NET). It added that 6% of candidates appearing for UGC-NET qualify for Assistant Professor eligibility, while 11,750 JRFs are awarded annually.
The reply also highlighted that several ministries and organisations offer fellowships for PhD scholars, including schemes for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, Persons with Disabilities and Single Girl Child candidates. It noted that research scholars can also receive funding through projects sanctioned by various agencies.
The ministry further said some students pursue PhD programmes without financial support and that the UGC introduced the Non-NET Fellowship to partially support such scholars, particularly those studying in Central Universities, remote areas and the North-East.
However, the response did not include the year-wise data sought by Tharoor or indicate any proposal or timeline to increase JRF slots or revise the UGC Non-NET Fellowship stipend. "Instead of furnishing the requested year-wise data on UGC-NET qualifiers and JRF awardees, it relies on a general description of the existing scheme and alternative sources of research funding," he wrote in his post on X.
He also said the government avoided answering whether it had examined the growing gap between qualified candidates and available fellowships or whether it planned to increase the number of JRFs or revise the eligibility criteria.
Emphasising the need for broader reforms, Tharoor said strengthening India's research ecosystem required more than financial support. "Beyond financial support, there is also a pressing need to strengthen institutional research infrastructure, ensure adequate academic supervision, establish effective grievance redressal mechanisms, and undertake a comprehensive review of research fellowship support so that India's research ecosystem keeps pace with the aspirations of its scholars," he wrote.
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