Aurangabad, April 30:
PhD and MPhil research students are given fellowships through ‘Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship’ as well as Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Research and Training Institute (BARTI) from the time of admission. Students across the state have demanded that eligible students should also get the benefits under Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Research Training and Human Development Institute (SARTHI) from the date of admission.
From the year 2018, fellowships (scholarships) are given to research students in the Maratha, Kunbi, Kunbi-Maratha, Maratha-Kunabi category under SARTHI. The advertisement for this fellowship was published in September 2019. As per the advertisement, applications were invited till January 30, 2020. Earlier, the board of directors of SARTHI also approved these 502 seats. No action was taken after receiving the applications from students. However, on December 23 2020, a provisional list of 342 eligible students was published after verifying the documents. Later, between March 23 to 27 2021, 241 students were interviewed at the office of SARTHI in Pune. The research work of students applying for fellowships is now taking place over a period of two years. But the selection for the fellowship has not yet been announced. On the other hand, the board has decided to award the fellowship from the day the students are selected for the fellowship. Hence students are claiming that they are facing injustice.
Mahavir Chavan, an office-bearer of the research students union, said that due to financial constraints, many youths of Maratha or Kunabi category are deprived of higher education. Many students have been doing research on the fellowships offered by SARTHI and even after two years, they have not been awarded the fellowships yet. Chavan also warned that the fellowship should be given to all the students from the date of admission for research work in universities and colleges, otherwise we will agitate in front of the SARTHI office.