Question: What benefits does Tagore National Fellowship for Cultural Research provide?

Answer: Benefits under Tagore National Fellowship for Cultural Research:

Honorarium:A Tagore National Fellow who is from a University, College, Research Institute, or Government setup in India
would be entitled to the same pay, including grade pay, etc., which he/she would have drawn had he/she continued in his/her parent
organization. Essential or mandatory contributions of the employer to Provident Fund etc. would be paid by the parent organizations as
would have been paid by them had he/she continued in his/her parent organization.A Fellow from abroad or from a set-up other than
University, College, Research Institute or Government service, or who has retired from active service and/or is on pension, would be
entitled to a fixed honorarium of â‚¹80,000/- per month.No payment of honorarium would normally be made to a Fellow receiving full
funding from other sources up to the level of the honorarium, but such Fellow will, however, receive a Contingency Grant, other
allowances, and facilities, as decided by the NSC. Contingency Grant:In case of foreign and Indian research fellows residing or serving
abroad and having been selected as Tagore Fellows under Non-MoC institutions, to and fro economy class airfare from their country of
residence will be provided/reimbursed by the Ministry once during the course of the Fellowship.Similarly, all fellows under Non-MoC
institutions who take up the Fellowship under the Scheme will be reimbursed, on an â€˜actualâ€™ basis, contingent expenses for
making academic trips, engaging research assistants, etc. up to a maximum ceiling of â‚¹2.50 lakhs per annum, during the tenure of
Fellowship subject to verification of requisite bills by the Nodal Institutions.Note: For Fellows selected under MoC Institutions, the
expenditure in this regard will be borne by the concerned MoC Institution from the grant-in-aid received by them from their
administrative Division of the Ministry.Accommodation:A Fellow who is not a bona-fide resident of the place of the Participating
Institution to which he has proposed to be affiliated and who intends to take up rented accommodation in the city of the desired
Institution will be required to indicate this fact at the time of applying for Fellowship.The selected Fellow will be entitled to receive a
House Rent Allowance of up to 30% of the honorarium. However, with respect to Fellows from Universities, colleges, Research
institutes, or Government setups HRA will be paid by the Parent Organization as per entitlement.The MoC Institutions will bear the
expenditure in this regard from the grant-in-aid received by them from their administrative Division of the Ministry.In respect of Non-
MoC Institutions, the Ministry of Culture will reimburse the House Rent Allowance directly to Fellows on submission of rent receipts (in
original) to the Participating Institutions who will verify and forward the same to the Ministry for reimbursement.Settling Allowance:A
Fellow from outstation will be given, if required, a lump sum grant of â‚¹1.00 lakh as settling allowance for packing/transportation, etc.,
of his personal belongings from the old station to the new station of his stay during the tenure of Fellowship, if he moves station or
otherwise transports books and academic effects.Allowance of an equal amount will also be given at the conclusion of the Fellowship for
moving out of station. On a case-to-case basis, economy airfare from his/her place/country of residence will be provided/reimbursed
upon joining and at the conclusion of the Fellowship. In this regard, Non-MoC Institutions will bear the expenditure and thereafter seek
reimbursement from the Ministry after submission of certified copies of Bills along with justification.Support to Fellows:Infrastructural
support will be provided by the Nodal Institution to the Fellows to enable them to conduct their research. This may include the provision
of a computer with peripherals and connectivity, working space in the institutionâ€™s premises, providing a congenial atmosphere to
carry out research, etc. Other facilities, like appropriate seating arrangements, library facilities, etc., will also be made available.One
important advantage of this scheme will be the access of the Fellows to national institutions for study and avail original and rare research
material. In respect of foreign fellows engaged under this scheme, necessary political/security clearances from the concerned
Ministries/Departments shall be obtained by the Ministry of Culture.Encouragement and financial support may also be given to enable
the Fellows to present papers at conferences hosted by the concerned institution or other related organizations and institutions, which
will be met out/reimbursed, on an â€˜actualsâ€™ basis, with a ceiling of â‚¹1.00 lakh per annum, provided adequate academic interaction
is arrangedEligibilityFellows who have sound academic or professional credentials and have made significant contributions to knowledge
in their respective fields will be eligible to apply for Tagore National Fellowship.Preferably the Fellows who have 5 years of experience
in conducting/guiding research or the same experience in performing/any other arts can apply for Tagore National Fellowship.The
applicants must have an impressive list of publications into their credit, at least two monographs (single-authored).Fellows to be engaged
must have both the credentials as laid down in the preceding paragraph, as well as a strong reputation in the field covered by the Nodal
Institution.Those who have in the past directly engaged with major projects at the Nodal Institution and fulfilled the above-mentioned

To avail these benefits, you need to meet the following eligibility criteria: criteria for a Tagore Fellow are encouraged to apply for the Tagore National Fellowship.Once awarded a Tagore National
Fellowship, a candidate cannot apply again for a Fellowship under this scheme, either at the same or any other institution covered under
the Scheme.The Scheme will be open to both Indian and foreign nationals. However, the proportion of foreigners will not normally
exceed oneâ€“third of the total fellowships awarded in a year.Note 01: Interested Fellows are required to enclose a research proposal
prepared on the guidelines provided in Appendix A.Note 02: Fellows are also required to prepare a short write-up on how the proposed
research would be beneficial for the respective nodal institution.Note 03: The honour and the honorarium are both of a very high order;
the Institution Level Search-cum-Screening Committee (ILSSC) of the sponsoring institution and the National Selection Committee may
keep these in mind while recommending/ selecting the Tagore National Fellows.Note 04: In short, a person selected for the Tagore
National Fellowship should be one who has already become a â€˜legendâ€™ in his area of work or is regarded very highly. It is
appropriate that those who do not come near this description may not apply or be considered for the highest honour and honorarium
accorded to a Fellow in India under this Fellowship.Areas of Research and Eligible Projects:The selected Fellows will normally work on
a project that benefits the Nodal Institution in terms of unraveling its resources. The subject of research should be one that can be
usefully pursued with the resources and facilities of the Nodal Institution awarding the Fellowship, though he/she will be free to draw on
the resources and facilities of other institutions, as well.If the subject of research extends to more than one institution or the Fellow
otherwise needs to draw upon the resources and facilities of other institution(s), the Nodal Institution awarding the Fellowship would
recommend the Fellow to such other institution(s). In rare cases, where two institutions appear to be of almost equal importance to the
Fellows, the second institution may be deemed to be the â€˜Co-institutionâ€™ and the two may sign a Tripartite MoU regarding
Intellectual Property, Publication, Credit sharing, facilities, etc. but accounting shall be with the Nodal Institution.Since the Scheme is
focused on unraveling the cultural resources of the Nodal Institution, the project must be driven in that direction, that is, to use
substantially the resources of the Nodal Institution. The inputs required for the project should have a very strong linkage with the
resources available with the Nodal Institution and (in rare cases) the Co-institution.At the end of it, the project outcome must be
beneficial for the Nodal Institution or co-institution, if any, and must add to the existing knowledge of the institution/subject. Application
ProcessOfflineApplication Process:Step 01: The Ministry of Culture and/or the concerned institution will widely advertise the
Fellowship in the leading national/regional newspapers and on its website (which should give all details) and also disseminate the
scheme through professional associations/forums in the relevant fields, so that maximum publicity is accorded to the Scheme.Step 02:
The eligible fellows who can spare time of about two years to do a project based on the resources of any of the participating institutions
can only apply during the prescribed timeline mentioned in the advertisement.Step 03: The candidates may submit their application form,
prepared according to the prescribed guidelines of the Scheme, to any one of the Nodal Institutions of his/her choice depending upon the
area of research proposed to be undertaken.Step 04: The candidates may submit their application form along with a biocatalyst of
publications and other relevant documents including a write-up on the proposed work (guidelines are in Appendix A), the applicant
should enclose a declaration stating that if selected for the Fellowship, he/she will complete the tenure of the Fellowship.Note: The list
of nodal institutions along with the other relevant details of the Scheme and application form is available on the website of the Ministry
of Cultureï»¿ï»¿ and Prime Ministers Museum and Library (PMML) (erstwhile Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) under
the Scheme Head of the website.Process of Selection:Step 01: The received applications will be examined by the Institution Level
Search-cum-Screening Committee (ILSSC) constituted by each participating institution for the purposes of this scheme.Step 02: The
applications found worthy of consideration will be shortlisted by the ILSSC.Step 03: The selection will be based on the relevance of the
study, the benefits of the nodal institution from that particular study, and the credentials and reputation of the scholar. Only such
proposals may be selectedthat seek to (a) engage fellows who have achieved national or international recognition and proven acceptance
of their work in national/ international circles; (b) bring out resources that are not yet fully out in the public domain; and (c) publish the
work for the benefit of the concerned institution. The selection will be done in two stages.Step 04: The first stage will be of shortlisting
of projects and candidates by the ILSSC, according to the criteria broadly specified as part of the Search-cum-Screening process. Apart
from considering the applications received, the ILSSC is also expected to adopt a proactive approach to identify relevant projects and
search for reputed fellows in that field, contact such fellows, and encourage them to submit their proposals. If the received proposals are
not worthy of consideration, the ILSSC need not feel compelled to recommend any proposals for consideration by the NSC.Step 05: At
the second stage, applications/names of short-listed candidates will be considered by the NSC for each institution.Contact