Shashi Tharoor on Thursday has criticised the government for its delayed response in addressing the concerns of non-NET PhD research fellows in India. During a speech in the Lok Sabha, Tharoor highlighted the challenges faced by these fellows, who receive a stipend of only ₹8,000 per month, unchanged since 2006. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday has criticised the government for its delayed response in addressing the concerns of non-NET PhD research fellows in India This amount is insufficient, especially in light of inflation and the rising cost of living.
Tharoor emphasised the need for an urgent revision of the stipend and called for improvements in the resources and support available at institutions, as well as the establishment of grievance redressal mechanisms. He further pointed out that while stipends for other fellowship programs are regularly revised, the non-NET stipend has been neglected. Tharoor's remarks come as part of a broader push to ensure better support for research fellows, whose work is critical to the nation's progress in research and development.
He urged the Ministry of Education and the University Grants Commission (UGC) to take immediate action to uplift these scholars and provide them with the necessary financial and institutional support..