How India’s research ambitions rest on scholars who can barely survive
Indian doctoral scholars face severe financial hardship due to a lack of adequate fellowships and stagnant stipends. Many researchers are forced to self-fund their studies, which limits their ability to conduct extensive scientific work.
Why it matters
The lack of financial support for researchers threatens India's long-term research and development ambitions and scientific output.
How India’s research ambitions rest on scholars who can barely survive left For scholars at central universities who miss the JRF, the main safety net is the UGC’s non-NET fellowship. It was introduced in 2006 at ₹5,000 a month and raised to ₹8,000 in 2012, and it has not changed since. | iStock/Getty Images Stockfoo Getty Images/iStockphoto https://th-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/zbh32k/article71611140.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/iStock-1394228651.jpg Stockfoo A university student is learning lessons online while sitting at the university campus PhD enrollment in India rose from about 203,000 in 2019-20 to 344,000 in 2023-24, according to the but theUGC awards the Junior Research Fellowship for only about 11,750 slots a year. Those left out live on far smaller stipends or none at all.
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