OBC research scholars across India are urging the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to address significant issues in the National Fellowship for OBCs (NFOBC) scheme. In a formal letter to Dr Virendra Kumar, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, dated November 14, the All India OBC Students Association (AIOBCSA) has outlined four critical challenges impacting students' research and financial stability, pressing for urgent reforms to ease their burdens.

The National Fellowship for OBCs (NFOBC) is a government-funded scholarship programme launched in 2014-15 that provides financial support to OBC students pursuing MPhil and PhD research in India.

The letter emphasises that the NFOBC currently follows a quarterly disbursement model, unlike similar fellowships such as the University Grants Commission’s JRF/SRF scheme and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research’s JRF/SRF scheme, which are distributed monthly. AIOBCSA argues that shifting to a monthly disbursement schedule would align with students’ ongoing needs, helping them manage living and research expenses more effectively.

A second issue raised is the alleged mismatch between the funds needed and those allocated to the programme, leading to delays in disbursement. The letter states that, according to responses from Right to Information (RTI) applications, this gap has forced the National Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation (NBCFDC) to withhold payments due to insufficient funding.

Furthermore, the association points out that even quarterly payments are often delayed, speculating that this indicates a delay in the sanctioning of funds from the Ministry of Social Justice. Adding even more to the uncertainty, AIOBCSA also notes a six-month delay between the release of JRF results and the announcement of the NFOBC selection list, which disrupts students’ research planning.

The AIOBCSA is calling for immediate action to streamline the fellowship process, requesting the ministry to ensure timely and consistent funding that supports OBC scholars in their pursuit of higher education and research, highlighting that “the students availing NFOBC fellowship come from severely financially stunted backgrounds”.