E-Paper
After 7-month delay, Centre releases funds for minority scholars
The Union government has approved the release of pending stipends for scholars under the Maulana Azad National Fellowship (MANF)
The Union government has approved the release of pending stipends for scholars under the Maulana Azad National Fellowship (MANF), ending a seven-month payment delay for over 1,400 PhD candidates from minority communities that had not received stipends since January 2025, officials aware of the matter said on Thursday.
“The pending payments under the Maulana Azad National Fellowship have been released. A small step that means a lot to so many,” Union minority affairs minister Kiren Rijiju said in a post on X, further linking the resolution to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and the government’s commitment to inclusivity.
The MANF scheme, established in 2009, supports PhDsupports PhD candidates from minority communities –– including Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and Parsis, who clear the National Eligibility Test (NET) and come from families earning under ₹6 lakh annually.
Scholars receive ₹37,000 monthly as junior research fellows (JRF) for the first two years, rising to ₹42,000 for the subsequent three years as senior research fellows (SRF). As of December 2023, 907 JRFs and 559 SRFs depend on the scheme.
HT reported on June 3 about the delays in the release of the scholars’ stipends, with the researchers raising concerns that the lack of funds has threatened their academic progress and basic sustenance. At the time, Congress MP wrote to Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman seeking disbursement of funds.
According to a letter sent to Jawed by Union Minister of State (finance) Pankaj Chaudhary on July 11, which HT has seen, the Department of Expenditure authorised the minority affairs ministry to release the funds via an office memorandum of the finance ministry dated July 10.
HT had previously reported that delays in the release of funds began after the University Grants Commission (UGC) transferred nodal responsibilities to the National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC) in late 2022.
Scholars reported administrative hurdles, including repeated document verification and Aadhaar linking. The fellowship’s budget was also reduced by 4.9% this fiscal year. Officials in the ministry also told HT that issues related to linkage with Aadhar and an investigation by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in several states into fraud in the scheme were other reasons why the disbursal was pending. Rijiju had also maintained the same in several parliamentary responses.
Opposition MPs, including Congress’s Rahul Gandhi, SP’s Zia Ur Rehman Barq, DMK’s T Sumathy, and Jawed, raised the issue with the government, citing “severe financial and emotional stress” and disparities in House Rent Allowance compared to UGC norms.
The report also noted that funds were available with the minority affairs ministry but awaited disbursement clearance due to “guideline changes and nodal agency transition”.
