Lok Sabha Question No. 4815 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-29
Subject: Research Fellowships
Ministry: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Gaurav Gogoi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

## DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 4815

TO BE ANSWERED ON 29.3.2023

## RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS

4815. SHRI GAURAV GOGOI:

Will the Minister of SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ͪव£ान और Ĥौɮयोͬगकȧ मंğी be pleased to state:

- (a)  the  details  of  the  number  of  Research  Fellowships  granted  under  each Fellowship scheme of the Ministry, year-wise, since 2014; and
- (b) the details of the number of instances of delay of disbursement of stipend amount under each of the Fellowship schemes of the Ministry, year-wise since 2014?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR THE MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND EARTH SCIENCES (DR. JITENDRA SINGH)

ͪव£ान और Ĥौɮयोͬगकȧ तथा पृ Øवी ͪव£ान मंğालय क े राÏय मंğी ( èवतंğ Ĥभार) (डॉ . िजतɅġ ͧसंह)

- (a) Ministry  of  Science  and  Technology  has  been  implementing  several fellowship schemes including major fellowship schemes such as Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) of Department of Science and Technology  (DST),  National  Postdoctoral  Fellowship  (N-PDF)  of  Science  and Engineering Research Board (SERB) and Junior / Senior Research Fellowship (JRF / SRF) and Research Associates (RA) of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research  (CSIR)  and  Department  of  Biotechnology  (DBT).  The  number  of Research Fellowships granted under each Fellowship scheme of the Ministry, year-wise, since 2014 is given below:

| Fellowship                             | Financial Year-wise Number of Fellowships   | Financial Year-wise Number of Fellowships   | Financial Year-wise Number of Fellowships   | Financial Year-wise Number of Fellowships   | Financial Year-wise Number of Fellowships   | Financial Year-wise Number of Fellowships   | Financial Year-wise Number of Fellowships   | Financial Year-wise Number of Fellowships   | Financial Year-wise Number of Fellowships   |
|----------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------|
| Scheme                                 | 2014- 15                                    | 2015- 16                                    | 2016- 17                                    | 2017- 18                                    | 2018- 19                                    | 2019- 20                                    | 2020- 21                                    | 2021- 22                                    | 2022- 23                                    |
| DST-INSPIRE                            | 2864                                        | 3483                                        | 2715                                        | 3508                                        | 3663                                        | 4276                                        | 3708                                        | 3850                                        | 2179                                        |
| DST-INSPIRE Faculty                    | 237                                         | 477                                         | 586                                         | 518                                         | 712                                         | 711                                         | 699                                         | 548                                         | 289                                         |
| SERB-NPDF                              | Nil                                         | 27                                          | 990                                         | 1267                                        | 575                                         | 240                                         | 196                                         | 272                                         | 232                                         |
| SERB- Ramanujan                        | 8                                           | 64                                          | 35                                          | 50                                          | 46                                          | 9                                           | 23                                          | 30                                          | 19                                          |
| CSIR Doctoral and Postdoctoral Awarded | 2876                                        | 2844                                        | 4870                                        | 7110                                        | 5004                                        | 5257                                        | 2615                                        | 1057                                        | -                                           |
| DBT-JRF / SRF                          | 538                                         | 714                                         | 823                                         | 935                                         | 1020                                        | 1021                                        | 950                                         | 1097                                        | 1248                                        |
| DBT-RA                                 | 224                                         | 213                                         | 225                                         | 182                                         | 190                                         | 224                                         | 199                                         | 178                                         | 140                                         |

(b) Departments  are  regularly  disbursing  the  fellowship  on  receipt  of requisite  documents  from  the  concerned  institutions.  Under  some  of  the schemes the funds are disbursed in advance for a period of minimum of one year to the implementing institution. Prior to implementation of Direct Benefit Transfer  (DBT)  mode  of  payment  w.e.f.  01-04-2017,  CSIR  was  releasing lumpsum fellowship grant to the host institutes of the research fellows and no delays in disbursement was reported till that time i.e. 31/03/2017. CSIR w.e.f. 01-04-2017 implemented the DBT mode of payment to make payment directly to the bank accounts of the research fellows. Though there were some delays in  disbursal  of  fellowship,  specific  number  of  such  cases  for  delays  is  not available. To mitigate the hardship faced by CSIR research fellows in recent past, CSIR in June-July 2021 linked the payment of fellowship to PFMS and also launched a software solution for CSIR research scholars and host institutes enabling them to submit monthly attendance reports, joining reports, completion  reports  etc.  through  the  portal.  This  has  led  to  considerable reduction in the number of complaints regarding any delay in payment.

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