On September 30, a delegation led by the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) submitted a representation to the Joint Secretary of the University Grants Commission (UGC), highlighting the delays in disbursement of both Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and non-National Eligibility Test (NET) stipends to PhD candidates.
In the letter to the UGC, the JNUSU sought clarity on the “ongoing issues surrounding the irregular and delayed disbursal of fellowships”, demanding “clear answers regarding the nature of the funding, the conditionalities attached to it, and the reasons for the delays.”
The delegation claimed that JRF scholars had yet to receive funds since May this year, despite the amount displayed on the Scholarship and Fellowship Management (SMFP) portal.
In response, the Joint Secretary assured the JNUSU that the fellowship arrears submitted between August 1 and August 8 would be disbursed and that the deadline to claim pending arrears would be extended beyond October 8.
“UGC responded that the arrears claimed in the 1-8 August window will be disbursed in the current cycle, within a couple of days along with the previous month generated fellowship. For those claimed in the month of September, the current month fellowship will be disbursed,” the JNUSU informed through a post on X.
Many research scholars under the JRF, both within and outside JNU have taken to X and complained about the inordinate delays in stipend disbursals.
A multi-faceted problem in JNU, say scholars
According to a research scholar under the JRF from JNU, who requested anonymity, stipend delays have been a problem for scholars for over a year now. They last released their stipend in June, leaving them bereft of three months of stipends.
In addition, they claim that changes in the rules concerning stipend disbursal have also made matters worse for the scholars. “Earlier, stipends used to get approved by the Nodal Officer between the 1st and 15th of every month. However, this window was shortened from 1-15 to 1-8, which gives scholars very little time to claim their stipends,” they say.
This is further exacerbated by a lengthy bureaucratic process and excessive red tape at the university. “To claim stipends, scholars must fill a form, and a a certificate indicating their will to continue receiving the stipends and get it verified with their supervisors. Then, these documents would be sent to the offices of the Dean & the Registrar, who need to approve it and send it to the Scholarship Cell for further approval,” the scholar says.
After this, the scholars must submit the documents to the Nodal Officer to claim the stipends.
Seeking approval for stipend disbursal from the Nodal Officer also comes with its own set of problems, the scholar says. This is due to the insistence on submitting continuation certificates with their stipend forms every month.
“UGC norms state that the scholars must submit continuation certificates every three months. However, the Nodal Officer insists on seeing the continuation certificate with our stipend claims every month, without which our applications would not move ahead,” they say. They add that the disbursal of auxiliary funds, such as the House Rent Allowance (HRA) is also subject to the whims of the Nodal Officer.
Despite several appeals to streamline the process by hiring more staff, or decentralising the approval system to the centre/school level, the administration of JNU, the red tape remained, the scholar says.
“JNU is severely understaffed, and the Dean alone cannot sign the forms of over 3,000 JRF scholars between the 1st to 8th of every month. Moreover, in the Dean’s absence, there is no one to approve the forms,” the scholar added.
Even after navigating through such a challenging process to submit their continuation forms, the stipends are not disbursed on time, says the scholar.
“We are already burdened with research and fieldwork, and we have to run behind various office bearers between the 1st and 8th of every month to submit our fellowship claims. However, even after submission, and the generation of the claim on the SMFP portal, the disbursal remains pending for months,” the scholar shared.
Calling this a “multi-pronged issue”, the scholar claims that JRF fellows at JNU are having to deal with an “apathetic administration” at the varsity, and an underfunded UGC, taking a toll on their mental well-being and capacity to conduct research.
Not just JNU?
The issue of delays in JRF stipends is something that extends well beyond the crimson walls and corridors of JNU — as JRF fellows across central universities in India allege facing this problem.
Mateen Ashraf, a second-year PhD scholar in Urdu at the Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU), Hyderabad alleges that his stipend has been pending since March this year.
“I have been submitting my claims regularly, and they get approved by the university administration on time too. The SMFP portal also shows that my request had been generated. However, my stipend had been pending for months now,” he narrates.
He adds that many research scholars under JRF have been facing such delays, but they aren’t ready to speak up. “Scholars are too busy trying to survive to agitate. On the other hand, no association has taken cognisance of this issue yet. We are left in a lurch, and nobody is ready to speak up for us,” he laments.
Further, the new conversion of the generated fellowship claims as “current” and “arrears” is cause for a lot of confusion about what month should be considered the “current” month under the new 1-8 window.
“We were already receiving our stipends for the previous month in the current month, making them late. This classification makes things more complicated for us,” the PhD scholar from JNU says.
Research and livelihood affected
Scholars say that these complications and eventual delays in stipend disbursals are impacting their ability to do research and sustain themselves.
“For several scholars, myself included, research stipends are a steady source of income, which they use to run their homes and sustain themselves, along with their research. A delay in the stipends and an absolute lack of communication from the UGC about their disbursal is a major cause of tension for us,” Mateen says.
He adds, “We have to procure books and papers, attend conferences and conduct fieldwork for our research. To add to that, we also have to pay for rent and utilities. How can we manage these expenses when our stipends are delayed?”
Researchers who often travel for fieldwork are the most impacted by these delays. For instance, Debjani Chakraborty, an ethnographer and SRF fellow at the Central University of Punjab who settled at her research site in rural Punjab says that moving around for research has been difficult without regular fund inflow in the form of her stipend.
“I have to travel to places that are not even connected by public transport and I'm compelled to travel by cabs, which is an expensive proposition. I also have to pay for my accommodation and utilities at the village where I stay,” she says.
Debjani further laments about not being able to fulfil familial obligations due to this fund crunch. “I cannot go home for Navratri this year, just because I haven’t received my stipend yet — even though my family expects that,” she says.
She claims that even trying to pursue international opportunities has proven to be a challenge.
“This year, I was invited to an international conference to submit a paper. My university and the organisers of the conference helped me fund my travel and accommodation. However, I realised that I had little money left after returning,” she narrates.
She says that the pride of submitting her paper and representing her university at an international level was soon replaced by a sense of despair, because of her dire financial situation.
In these situations, many scholars are resorting to taking huge loans to meet their expenses, which leaves them in a debt trap with no means to repay them.
“What is the point of appearing for UGC-NET and applying for JRF, if I have to incur huge debts to produce quality research?” Mateen questions.
According to the PhD scholar from JNU, many scholars and PhD candidates from the varsity have dropped out of their PhD due to a lack of funds.
“This only sends one message — research is no place for scholars from poor families, marginalised castes and Adivasi communities, first-generation scholars or woman scholars. Are only scholars from well-off families and privilege eligible to pursue careers in research?” they ask.
They add that it is inexcusable for a body like the UGC to not receive funds for stipend allocation, or even claim such a thing.
“What is the point of a statutory organisation like the UGC, and its various fellowships if funds are not allocated for them?” the scholar further asks.
