Lok Sabha Question No. 4324 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-27
Subject: Fellowships and Scholarships offered to SCs/ STs/OBCs/Minority Communities
Ministry: Education
Asked by: Uttam Kumar Nalamada Reddy

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

## DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 4324

ANSWERED ON 27/03/2023

## FELLOWSHIPS AND SCHOLARSHIPS OFFERED TO SCs/ STs/ OBCs/ MINORITY COMMUNITIES

## 4324.   SHRI UTTAM KUMAR REDDY NALAMADA:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a)  the  details  of  fellowships  and  scholarships  offered  to  higher  education  students  from Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and Minority communities;
- (b)  the  details  of  each  fellowship  including  the  number  of  slots,  stipend  offered,  eligibility criteria and the number of fellowship slots given out each year since 2014;
- (c) whether the Post-Doctoral Fellowship offered to SCs, STs, OBCs and minorities has not been notified since 2017 and if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
- (d) whether the afore-mentioned fellowship is likely to be notified for 2022-23, if so, the details thereof;
- (e) whether the Government has proposed to increase the slots and stipend offered under these fellowships, and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (f)  whether  the  Government  is  planning  to  remove  the  National  Eligibility  Test  (NET)  as  a prerequisite  for  these  fellowships  for  SCs,  STs,  OBCs  and  minorities  and  if  not,  the  reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (DR. SUBHAS SARKAR)

(a)  &  (b):  The  Government  is  implementing  various  fellowship  and  scholarship  schemes  for providing  financial  assistance  to  all  categories  of  students  including  Scheduled  Caste  (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), Other Backward Class (OBC) and Minority communities. The details of these  schemes  including  the  number  of  slots,  assistance  offered  and  eligibility  criteria  are available in the following websites:

|   Sl. No. | Ministry/ Department                      | Website links                                                                         |
|-----------|-------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|         1 | Department of Higher Education            | https://www.education.gov.in/pm-usp-scholarships- education-loan                      |
|         2 | University Grants Commission              | https://www.frg.ugc.ac.in                                                             |
|         3 | All India Council for Technical Education | https://www.aicte-india.org/bureaus/rifd/Scholarship- Schemes                         |
|         4 | Ministry of Social Justice &Empowerment   | https://socialjustice.gov.in/scheme-cat                                               |
|         5 | Ministry of Tribal Affairs                | https://tribal.nic.in/ScholarshiP.aspx                                                |
|         6 | Ministry of Minority Affairs              | https://www.minorityaffairs.gov.in/show_content.php?l ang=1&level=2&ls_id=669&lid=825 |

(c) to (f): The University Grants Commission (UGC) has notified the revised guidelines for post doctoral fellowship in September, 2022. This fellowship has provision of reservation of SC, ST and  OBC  as  per  Government  of  India  reservation  policy.  The  UGC  has  informed  that  the National  Eligibility  Test  (NET)  is  not  a  mandatory  prerequisite  for  post  doctoral  fellowships offered by the UGC. The NET examination is a prerequisite for the Junior Research Fellowship (UGC-JRF) Scheme to do PhD.

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