HYDERABAD: Even after HRD minister Smriti Irani had clarified on Twitter that the non-NET fellowship would not be scrapped, members of various student organisations staged a protest at UGC’s regional office here on Tuesday demanding issuance of official order in this regard.
The protesting students even demanded a hike in the fellowship grant.
Members of SFI, DSU, TSF, BSF and TVV also took part in the protest. Representatives from these organisations met the joint secretary of UGC and submitted a letter, demanding immediate revocation of the decision to discontinue the UGC non-NET fellowship for research students. Under the scheme, financial assistance was provided to students undertaking M.Phil and PhD, Rs 5,000 and Rs 8,000 per month respectively.
Addressing the protesters, University of Hyderabad Students Union president Zuhail KP said, “Just a mere tweet will not solve a problem. The government should issue a circular stating that the non-NET (National Eligibility Test) fellowship will not be withdrawn. Also, they need to respond to our other demands.”
He said that fixing merit or economic criterion for selection of beneficiaries will make several students ineligible and reduce the scope of scholarships.
As the non-NET fellowships are given only to scholars at central universities, he asked the government to extend the fellowship to state universities as well across the country.