The research scholars of the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, held a protest on the campus over the institute’s alleged failure to implement the updated fellowship rates on Thursday.
The research scholars said although the DST (department of science and technology) order mandates the hike of fellowship effective from January 2023, the institute has failed to implement it.
The fellowship has been hiked at different categories – junior research fellow (JRF), senior research fellow (SRF), research associates (RA) and several institutions have implemented it, the protesting research scholars said.
The revised pay for the junior research fellow, senior research fellow, research associate-I, research associate-II and research associate-III has been revised to Rs 37,000 (from Rs 31,000), Rs42,000 (from Rs 35,000), Rs 58,000 (from Rs 47,000), Rs 61,000 (from Rs 49,000) and Rs 67,000 (from Rs 54,000), respectively.
The JRF and SRF are the ones pursuing PHd. Research associates are the ones pursuing post-doctoral programmes.
The scholars later submitted a letter to the deputy director demanding immediate implementation of the updated fellowship.
The director did not come to the campus on Thursday.
The research scholars also held a march inside the campus in Bonhooghly.
A research scholar said repeated discussions with authorities failed to yield any results.
An office memorandum of the DST which The Telegraph has accessed, says: “The office memorandum is applicable to the research personnel working on R & D programmes funded by the Central Government Department/Agencies….The revised emoluments will take effect from 01.01.2023.”
Similar protests were held at other ISI centres in the country.
Calls and text messages to the ISI Kolkata director Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay failed to elicit any response.
Deputy director Dipti Mukherjee told The Telegraph: “ISI comes under the ministry of statistics and programme implementation. So approval on the revised fellowship has to come from the concerned ministry. We are awaiting this”.
