Awaiting stipend, PhD scholars launch protest

The disbursal of fellowships was suspended in 2022, following the state government’s decision to cap the number of fellowships at SARTHI, BARTI and MJPRF at 200 each

Mumbai: Doctoral students from marginalised backgrounds who are awaiting disbursal of fellowships from the Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Research, Training and Human Development Institute (SARTHI), the Babasaheb Ambedkar Research and Training Institute (BARTI), and the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Research Fellowship (MJPRF) have launched a protest at Azad Maidan, demanding clarity on the disbursement process.

Awaiting stipend, PhD scholars launch protest

“Our major demands include immediate payment of extra scholarships to eligible students registered between 2019 and 2022 and removal of caps on the number of fellowships offered by each institute,” said Priya Mali, a student who is also part of the protest.

The disbursal of fellowships was suspended in 2022, following the state government’s decision to cap the number of fellowships at SARTHI, BARTI and MJPRF at 200 each. Nearly 1,200 PhD candidates including Maratha Kunbis, Scheduled Castes (SC), Other Backward Classes (OBC), Nomadic Nomads (VJNT) and Special Backward Classes (SBC), who were selected as fellows between 2019 and 2022, have been awaiting disbursal of their stipends since.

“The sudden announcement of a cap of 200 seats per institute has exacerbated our tensions. We are also concerned about the selection process,” said Mali.

The first test was held on December 24, 2023, but was cancelled after it emerged that the 2019 SET exam paper was reused for the test. The second test held on January 10, 2024, too was marred due to the use of unsealed question papers.

Concerns regarding the plight of the PhD students were raised during a meeting chaired by the chief secretary on June 1, 2023, then again during a meeting chaired by chief minister Eknath Shinde on December 14, 2023. Though assurances were made on both occasions to consider the demands sympathetically, protesting students accused the government of being insensitive, unjust and unconstitutional.

The students are also protesting against the establishment of a high-level women’s committee on October 30, 2023, alleging that it has curtailed the autonomy of the insitutes. “Revocation of the October 30, 2023, order that stripped the autonomy of SARTHI, BARTI and MJPRF is among our key demands,” said Mali.