Minority scholars at sea over research fellowship funding
New Delhi: The Centre has said that the proposal of disbursing pending fellowships under the Maulana Azad National Fellowship (MANF) is "under active consideration", a development that has left hundreds of minority research scholars confused and anxious.
The ministry of minority affairs recently responded to TOI's query on the matter saying: "At present, the proposal for approval of committed liabilities under this scheme, beyond 2021-22, is under active consideration of the govt."
The statement comes amid mounting concerns and contradictions. Scholars have been receiving fellowship amounts post-discontinuation of the scheme in 2022, albeit with long delays, and the Union Budget for 2025-26 has even allocated Rs 42.84 crore to the scheme.
"The Maulana Azad National Fellowship Scheme was approved for implementation till 2021-22. Thereafter, the scheme is to be implemented for settlement of committed liabilities w.r.t. (with respect to) existing beneficiaries," the ministry added.
MANF, launched in 2009 to support MPhil and PhD students from six notified minority communities, was discontinued in Dec 2022. At the time, govt had cited an overlap with existing fellowships like UGC-JRF and CSIR as the reason but had assured that existing fellows would continue receiving support until the end of their tenures.
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The assurance was reiterated by Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman during a parliamentary session and echoed in replies submitted to the Lok Sabha. Yet, the ministry's recent framing of the disbursal as a "proposal under consideration" has made scholars unsure about its continuity.
Since Oct 2022, the National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC) has been the nodal agency for disbursing the funds.
However, after the scheme's implementation shifted from UGC to NMDFC, fellowships have been marked by long and recurring gaps, students have alleged.
According to some scholars, the disbursement had been regular until Feb 2022. What followed were extended gaps — seven to eight months between Feb and Aug 2022; five months between Sept 2022 and Jan 2023; four months from Jan to April 2023; another four months between May and Aug 2023; five months between Oct 2023 and Feb 2024; and currently, a six-month delay from Dec 2024 to May 2025 — according to some scholars.
These lapses, students say, have not only caused emotional distress but also forced many to pause or even reconsider their research pursuits. Ironically, in response to a 2023 query about why the fellowship was not being disbursed monthly, the ministry said that "under the MANF scheme, the funds are disbursed to the beneficiaries on a monthly basis."
As of May 2025, several MANF scholars have allegedly not received their stipends since Jan, while others have been waiting since Sept or Oct 2024.
With no clear communication and the ministry now calling the disbursal itself a "proposal," scholars say they are worried. "Today, I lost my beloved cousin, but I couldn't attend his funeral because I couldn't afford the flight due to the delayed fellowship. It has been 5 to 6 months, and many of us are struggling with severe financial crises," said a Kashmiri Muslim PhD scholar from Jamia Millia Islamia, requesting anonymity.
"Some of us have support from our families, but many scholars have no such support, especially those who are married and the sole providers for their families. The second Eid is approaching, yet many of us are helpless, burdened with unfulfilled expectations from our families. Instead of focusing on our research, we are forced to fight daily — making calls and sending unanswered emails to the ministry."
The fellowship was designed to offer financial aid to scholars from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, helping them pursue higher education without being burdened by financial hardship.
Eligibility required that students belong to a notified minority community, have cleared the National Eligibility Test (NET), be enrolled in MPhil or PhD programmes, and have a family income below the threshold (typically Rs 6 lakh annually).
Around 1,500–2,000 students are estimated to be beneficiaries. With research stalled and basic living expenses unmanageable, many scholars say they are on the verge of quitting.
"Just recently, a fellow scholar was desperate to pay his family member's hospital bills," another scholar said. "I am not saying that the entire responsibility lies with the ministry, but they cannot deny their role in our suffering. If we knew this would be our reality, we wouldn't have left our families from Kerala to Delhi or Kashmir to Aligarh only to feel helpless in our hardest times.
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Beyond the delays, another major point of contention has been the house rent allowance (HRA).
While UGC has revised the HRA structure for its JRF and SRF fellows effective from Jan 1, 2024, this has not been implemented for MANF fellows, even though the scheme's guidelines state that fellowship rates should be on a par with the UGC, students said.
Scholars argue that these discrepancies are not just technical but reveal larger neglect. "We are not just students. We are researchers dedicated to contributing to the academic and scientific progress of our nation. But our morale is breaking down due to this extended period of financial uncertainty," said a fellow from a central university, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
The scholars have demanded immediate release of dues, implementation of the revised HRA, and regular monthly disbursements.
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