Scholarship for researchers from minority background face four-month delay

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As the disbursement of Maulana Azad National Fellowship (MANF) for research scholars from minority communities has faced delay for four months yet again, the students have urged the Union Government to expedite the process of distributing the scholarships to them.

The Minority Affairs Ministry, that handles the scholarships, meanwhile, has told the students in an RTI reply that the Ministry is in the process of getting three scholarship schemes approved from the Union Government for implementation from 2022-23 onwards.

The Ministry asked the students to “wait and appreciate the constraints” of the Ministry in disbursement of scholarship, fellowship, and interest subsidies. The scholarship division of the Ministry is implementing this scheme, which faced delays on several occasions in the last few years.

The Ministry said in the RTI response that National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC) has released the pending fellowship amount to respective MANF fellows till December, 2024. “Further, NMDFC is in the process to receive funds under the MANF scheme from Government for releasing fellowships to existing MANF fellows,” the Ministry said.

On the demand to revise the House Rent Allowance rates for MANF scheme, the Ministry said the proposal is under consideration of the Union Government. As per the provisions of MANF Scheme, the HRA is to be revised from time to time. The Ministry added that it is in the process of getting the three scholarship schemes, MANF and Padho Pardesh Schemes for minorities approved for implementation from 2022-23 onwards. “Please wait and appreciate the constraints of this Ministry in disbursement of scholarship, fellowship and interest subsidies and read the Guidelines,” the Ministry told students.

Saurabh Anand, who follows Buddhism, is a fourth year PhD scholar at the Central University of Himachal Pradesh, Dharamshala. He told The Hindu that he hasn’t received MANF fellowship since January. “The survival has become extremely difficult. I have borrowed money from many people, but now no one is willing to help. My mother is a mental health patient and needs proper treatment. I also need funds to participate in research workshop as well as in purchasing essential softwares for data analysis. Without financial support, it’s difficult to carry forward my research and manage basic living. I sincerely hope the government responds to our situation soon,” he said.

A woman scholar from Srinagar, on the condition of anonymity, said because of the delay in receiving fellowship, she is unable to pay room rent. “I am not in a position to attend conferences. I am facing emotional and psychological strain. Delay has affected my research capability also as I can not concentrate on studies,” she said.

Shanif M.K., a scholar from Kozhikkode, said MANF has faced frequent delays in recent years. “This time, I am struggling to arrange the funds needed for my thesis submission. My fellowship period ended on 23, February 2025. But I have not yet received the stipend for January and February. Now, I am on the verge of submitting my thesis, but I lack the money to cover the submission fee, printing costs, rent, and university fees. As a result, I am stuck in a difficult situation. Additionally, I am actively seeking a job for the next academic year and attending interviews. However, since I haven’t submitted my thesis yet, I am unable to benefit from the ‘thesis submitted’ status, which is affecting my job prospects,” he said.