Today, February 23, Dr N Kalaiselvi, Director-General of CSIR, responded to a recent email from the All India Research Scholars Association (AIRSA) concerning the termination of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) fellowship for approximately 200-300 PhD scholars. The termination occurred due to the scholars' failure to submit their annual progress reports to the CSIR-Human Resource Development Group (HRDG).
In the response email that was shared with EdexLive, the director acknowledged receipt of the email addressed to the DG-CSIR regarding the request to reactivate the CSIR-PhD Scholars Fellowships for those who experienced delays or failed to submit progress reports.
The email concludes by stating, “Please be informed that CSIR-HRDG is examining the issue in totality for its possible consideration and shall notify you of the decision on the matter in a week.”
To recall, earlier on February 19, AIRSA had penned a letter to the CSIR director requesting an appointment to discuss the termination of CSIR PhD fellowships to safeguard scientific careers. In the letter, AIRSA highlighted the numerous scholars who had sought support and a meeting with the director's office but had not received an appointment.
They wrote, “Given the significance of CSIR fellowships in nurturing scientific talent, we believe it is crucial to promptly address any concerns related to the termination of the fellowship we are seeking guidance and clarification on the termination process and insights into any available support or alternative options to ensure the continuation of my scientific career.”
AIRSA General Secretary Bipin Tiwari, speaking about the issue to EdexLive, mentioned that the delay in annual progress report submissions can be due to various unforeseen circumstances. “Several stakeholders are involved in the process like the department, the research institute, the personal investigator (PI). However, the fellowships of these scholars were terminated without any intimation to any of the stakeholders including the research scholars in a very arbitrary move,” said Tiwari.
