CSIR evasive about extending fellowship funding, researchers distressed

Clearing the air around fellowships and extension of research fellowships, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research issued a few notifications on Tuesday. However, the research organisation is yet to take a final decision on funding extended final year projects.

"CSIR Fellowship Extension with the stipend is a policy decision with financial involvement. It is being considered but no decision yet. Extension of time has already been granted," the organisation said in a tweet. Earlier in June, its Director-General Shekhar C Mande told Edexlive that fellowship extension was under 'active consideration'. It had extended the project deadline owing to the pandemic.

A lot of research scholars have expressed distress over the institute's indecisiveness. "This is causing us a lot of stress. For most of the researchers, their fellowship is the only source of income. Hope they come up with a favourable decision soon," says a CSIR researcher.

The CSIR also said that since many institutes are closed currently, they are not able to send up-gradation/extension documents. Researchers tell us that this has affected the quality of research, especially in cases of projects that were nearing completion. At the same time, a group of research scholars have started a change.org petition asking the MHRD and other bodies to extend the fellowships for the PhD fifth-year students.