2 months ago
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Days aft the Centre told Parliament that OBC scholars person not received grants nether the National Fellowship for OBC Students (NF-OBC) since June past year, hundreds of Scheduled Caste scholars crossed the state person flagged a hold successful receiving the grants owed to them nether the National Fellowship for Scheduled Caste Students (NFSC).
Many NFSC scholars The Hindu spoke to said that they person not received the monthly grants for a play ranging from 2 months to 5 months.
Also read: OBC probe scholars successful the lurch arsenic govt chokes money flow
Meanwhile, authorities officials said the Social Justice Ministry is successful talks with the Department of Expenditure to wide the pending grants nether NF-OBC for the existent fiscal year. According to the Centre, the Ministry has spent ₹54.5 crore retired of the allocated ₹55 crore.
One root explained, “The Department of Expenditure has raised immoderate queries with regards to the fig of fellows being on-boarded. The Social Justice Ministry is addressing these queries to wide the pending payments for this fiscal. Apart from this, the adjacent year’s allocation has already been raised significantly.”
On Thursday (February 6, 2025), the All India Research Scholars Association (AIRSA) wrote to Social Justice Secretary Amit Yadav, seeking a solution to the hold successful releasing the grants erstwhile and for all. AIRSA president Dr. Lal Chandra Vishwakarma told The Hindu, “We’ve been raising this contented for a decennary oregon much now. It is basal for researchers to get fellowship astatine the extremity of each period truthful that they tin absorption connected their areas of research.”
Also read: Ministry responds to The Hindu report; to merchandise OBC fellowship funds soon
An NFSC student from Punjabi University told The Hindu that her fellowship wealth has been pending for December and January. “We person a radical of NFSC scholars, successful which the fellowship wealth has been pending for arsenic galore arsenic 130 scholars for 1 to 3 months,” the scholar, who wished to stay anonymous, said.
The AIRSA, successful its missive to the Social Justice Secretary, sought timely disbursal of funds nether the fellowship schemes, an summation successful budgetary allocation for it, and a grievance redressal mechanics for scholars.
