Rajya Sabha MP Dr Amar Pattnaik has received a reply from Dr Rajesh S Gokhale, Secretary of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), to his letter proposing suggestions to improve the research ecosystem in India. Gokhale has informed us that a single national portal would be set up for fellowships.

"I am happy to inform you that the Department of Biotechnology and other Departments under the Ministry of Science and Technology along with the Ministry of Earth Sciences are working together to create a single national fellowship portal," the letter, shared by Dr Pattnaik in his official Twitter handle, reads. However, it also states that the DBT would not be able to accommodate the other requests as it was not directly involved in the matters. But the concerned Department has been informed, Gokhale writes.

"I would like to inform you that the Department of Biotechnology is not directly involved/mandated in the revision of fellowships of JRF, SRF, RI, PDF, Young Scientists etc. The fellowships for these positions are revised by the Department of Science and Technology. A copy of the letter along with its enclosures is being sent to the Secretary, Department of Science and Technology with a request for taking necessary action," the letter says.

Dr Pattnaik tweeted, "Pleased to learn Ministry of Science & Technology, GoI, is working on a national #scholarship platform to augment the research landscape." The All India Research Scholars' Association (AIRSA), on the other hand, are not satisfied with the developments. "We have sent many requests in the past, suggesting changes, but they were disregarded. It was only an MP's letter which received a reply. The government is not giving priority to the researchers," said Dr Lal Chandra Vishwakarma, AIRSA President.