Lok Sabha Question No. 2409 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-05-09
Subject: Relaxation in Criteria
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: K. C. VENUGOPAL, KUNWAR PUSHPENDRA SINGH CHANDEL, K. ASHOK KUMAR

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 2409 TO BE ANSWERED ON 09.05.2016

## Relaxation in Criteria

2409. SHRI K.C. VENUGOPAL: SHRI KUNWAR PUSHPENDRA SINGH CHANDEL: SHRI K. ASHOK KUMAR:

Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state: (a) whether the University Grants Commission (UGC) has decided to relax criteria for women including pregnant and disabled candidates pursuing M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees in the country; (b)  if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  review  of  relief  measures  taken  by  the Government; (c) whether the Government has made any consultation with UGC in this regard and if so, the details thereof; (d)  whether  the  Government  is  ready  to  expand  these  norms  to  State  and  Private universities and if so, the details thereof; and (e)  the  number  of  women  researchers  in  various  streams  in  the  country  including Bundelkhand region, State-wise and the other steps taken by the Government for rise in contribution  of  women  in  the  research  field  in  addition  to  giving  relief  measures  in

- research work?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (SMT. SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

(a) to (e): Yes, Madam. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has initiated several measures to facilitate continued enrolment of women students in Ph.D. courses and its feeder  course  i.e.  M.Phil.  The  UGC  constituted  a  Committee  to  look  into  genuine hardships  being  faced  by  the  Women/PWD  researchers  under  the  Chairmanship  of Prof. V.S.Chouhan. The measures suggested by the Committee include amendments in  the  Ph.D./M.Phil.  Regulations  by  relaxing  the  maximum  duration  for  completion  of Ph.D. or M.Phil. for the women candidates and persons with disability (more than 40% disability) one year of M.Phil and two years for Ph.D; allowing transfer of research data in case of relocation of an Ph.D./M.Phil. woman scholar due to marriage or otherwise; and  allowing  women  candidates  maternity  leave/child-care  leave  once  in  the  entire duration of Ph.D./M.Phil. for up to 240 days. The above recommendation/modification has  been  incorporated  in  the  UGC  (Minimum  Standards  and  procedure  for  award  of

M.Phil/Ph.D Degrees) Regulations 2016 which have been approved in its 514 th Meeting of the Commission. The UGC Regulations are applicable to all Universities, Deemed to be Universities and Colleges. Further, the UGC is implementing Swami Vivekananda single  girl  child  scholarship  for  research  in  social  sciences    and  PG  Indira  Gandhi Scholarship for single girl child for postgraduate courses to promote the enrolment of women at doctoral and     its feeder level. The UGC has informed that region wise enrollment in research programmes is not  being  maintained  centrally.  As  per  the  All  India  Survey  on  Higher  Education (AISHE)  provisional  report  for  2014-15,  45,482  women  were  enrolled  in  Ph.D  and 18,695 in M.Phil in higher educational institutions in the country. As per the report, the enrollment of women in the State of Uttar Pradesh in Ph.D programme was 4014 and

612 in M.Phil programme.

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