IISc research scholars seek stipend hike, write to PM

BENGALURU: As many as 300 research scholars at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore on Thursday wrote postcards to Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighting their demand for a hike in stipend.
“The PM’s research fellowship scheme caters to only a few students and many are left out. Please look into the matter,” stated a postcard.
Gaurav Solra, general secretary, IISc Students’ Council, said: “As per the UGC norms, a Junior Research Fellow (JRF) gets Rs 25,000 a month and Senior Research Fellow (SRF) Rs 28,000.It must be Rs 50,000 and Rs 56,000, respectively.”
Currently, there are 3,900 students in IISc, of whom 2,500 are PhD students and 1,400 masters and undergraduate students. They demanded inflation-based annual revision in stipend and timely disbursal. The last hike was in 2014 when the government increased it from Rs 16,000 to Rs 25,000 for JRFs and from Rs 18,000 to 28,000 for SRFs.
Research scholars from the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences, TIFR, Bengaluru, also petitioned to the authorities seeking hike in fellowship amount.