Researchers up in arms for stipend hike Chethan Kumar,TNN | Jul 24, 2014, 03.14 AM IST BANGALORE: While India tries to create great research and academic institutions, it now has to assuage unhappy researchers. In just two days, over 3,000 researchers in 100 premier institutions, including the Indian Institute of Science, IISERs, IITs, JNU, CSIR institutes, NIT, NCBS, AIIMS, have complained about a discouraging research environment with lack of funding and delays in payment. READ ALSO: A search for researchers Renowned scientist Prof CNR Rao told TOI: The environment requires a major overhaul in most places. We have to improve research conditions and do research in more exciting (frontline) areas. Researcher Raman Baliyan from AIIMs said: We want the government to take the issue seriously and consider our proposal to make our stipends and fellowships on the lines of the government payscale. There have been delays in payments - some of us got paid 18 months late. Researchers are joining forces to put pressure on the government. While there have already been protests in Bangalore and Chandigarh, students from 10 major institutes in Delhi will hold a day-long protest outside the department of science and technology on July 25. Researcher Shunham Badjate at IIT-Bombay said: Were planning more protests in Mumbai in August. Pankaj Jain of IISc said the plan is to scale up protests in Delhi. He said a letter to HRD minister Smriti Irani got no response. Inflation has gone up considerably and our hikes should be 75% more. But we want a formula that takes care of hikes annually at least from now. The researchers, 72% male, are making a case for an annual increase in fellowship. A major complaint is that the last stipend hike was in 2010. An online survey led by IISc researchers showed that a whopping 84% are pursuing PhDs, 91% wanted a stipend hike and 30% have family liabilities. Former Union minister and MP Jairam Ramesh, while agreeing that the research environment in the country is discouraging, said the demands of the students are valid. Expertspeak The UPA-II government had agreed to increase the research scholarship from April 1, 2014. It was to be Rs 25,000 per month for PhD and Rs 45,000 per month for post-doctoral students. The research environment needs a major boost. CNR Rao | honorary president, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research While we have great ambitions, we dont have systems in place. Our economy is not designed for this. Were not competing well globally and for that we need more R&D. We should not push people to professional courses which give high-flying jobs. We need to not only increase our spending on science but should also build our economy so our scientists have good careers. Its not possible when our R&D budget is less than 1% of the budget.
Posted on: Thu, 24 Jul 2014 12:47:04 +0000
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