Fellowship Stipends for JRF, SRF, and RA Increased by Education Ministry

The Ministry of Education (MoE) has increased the monthly emoluments or stipend of Junior Research Fellowships (JRFs), Senior Research Fellowships (SRFs), and Research Associates (RAs) of the Higher Education Institute (HEI). The monthly emoluments have been increased with effect from January 1, this year.

“The monthly emoluments of the researchers of the Higher Education Institutes, Ministry of Education, increased with effect from 1st January 2023. This will provide a significant boost to the R&D ecosystem and facilitate researchers. The Government will incur an additional expenditure of approx. Rs 725.00 crore,” the official account of the MoE, Government of India, tweeted on X (formally known as Twitter).

Revised monthly emoluments or stipend of JRFs, SRFs, and RAs:

Junior Research Fellowships (JRFs) from Rs 31,000 to Rs 37,000.

Senior Research Fellowship (SRFs) from Rs 35,000 to Rs 42,000.

Research Associate – I from Rs 47,000 to Rs 58,000.

Research Associate – II from 49,000 to Rs 61,000.

Research Associate – III from Rs 54,000 to Rs 67,000.

The Department of Science and Technology (DST) increased fellowship stipends for research scholars on June 22, but the increases — 19 per cent for junior research fellowships (JRF) and 20 per cent for senior research fellowships (SRF) — fell short of the demand for a 60 per cent increase, according to the research scholars association. On June 30, the group had called for a national shutdown of all researchers and labs.

Meanwhile, the MoE on October 3 released draft instructions to schools for increasing sensitivity, empathy, and assistance in cases of alleged self-harm. The drafting rules for Understanding, Motivate, Manage, Empathise, Empower, and Develop (UMMEED) come at a time when a record number of students studying for engineering and medical entrance examinations in Kota have died by suicide in 2023. The drafting instructions for schools include steps such as establishing a School Wellness Team (SWT), recognising children who display warning signals and are in danger of self-harm, responding swiftly and helping such children, and so on.