After a significant delegation led by the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students ‘ (JNUSU), the University Grants Commission (UGC) has pledged to ensure the distribution of fellowships. Additionally, the deadline for claiming outstanding arrears will be extended beyond October 8. The commission recognized the delays associated with the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and non-National Eligibility Test (NET) fellowships, as stated by JNUSU. This development comes as a response to ongoing concerns from students regarding the timely disbursement of funds, reflecting a commitment to addressing these issues and supporting the academic community.
On September 30, the student union coordinated a large delegation to the UGC to discuss persistent problems related to fellowship disbursement. During the meeting with the joint secretary of the UGC, the student representatives pointed out that Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) scholars have not received their fellowships since May, even though these funds are marked as generated in the SMFP portal. Furthermore, they claimed that many students have been waiting for their non-NET fellowships for several months without any payment. JNUSU has asked for the deadline to claim pending arrears to be extended until August 2025, as the existing deadline is set for October 8.
JNUSU stated, “UGC responded that the arrears claimed in the 1st to 8th August window will be disbursed in the current cycle, within a couple of days along with the previous month’s fellowship. For those claimed in September, the current month fellowship will be disbursed.”
Concerning the non-NET fellowships, the UGC clarified that this matter is the responsibility of individual universities and falls under their management. Furthermore, the UGC assured the JNUSU representatives that the deadline for claiming pending arrears, which is presently scheduled for October 8, 2024, will indeed be extended. This assurance was communicated to the students during their discussions, providing them with some relief regarding their financial concerns.
The Jawaharlal Nehru University Student Union (JNUSU) is the student representative body of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi, India. It serves as a platform for students to voice their concerns, advocate for their rights, and engage in discussions on various issues affecting the student community and the university environment. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has assured students of the disbursement of fellowships. This commitment comes in response to ongoing concerns raised by student organisations regarding delays in the distribution of funds. Additionally, the commission has indicated that measures will be implemented to improve the overall efficiency of the fellowship disbursement process, providing students with more timely access to their funds.
Comments
0 comment