From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: The Government has jacked up the scholarships to Scheduled castes, nomadic tribes, wards of landless farm labourers and traditional artisan communities from 100 to 125 for studies abroad though fewer selected in the past six years with the lowest 39 in 2021-22, but restrictions have been put on what subjects they can pursue for master’s o PhD course in the foreign universities.
The revised guidelines for the National Overseas Scholarship (NOS) uploaded on Thursday by the Ministry of Social Science and Empowerment, which governs the scheme, makes it clear that the candidates cannot use the scholarship to cover the course concerning the Indian culture, heritage, history or social studies on India.
Further, the topic for the research will have to be cleared finally by the selection-cum-screening committee of NOS. Academicians say this is a gag on the students who were earlier free to take up the subject of their choice as permitted since 1950s when the scholarship was launched. The ministry justified its say in deciding the topics since it is funding the students, pointing out that the government pays to the selected candidates the entire tution fee, besides an annual maintenance allowance of US $15,400 and contigency allowance of $1500, besides medical insurance premium and visa charges.
Though the new guidelines described the criterion in broad terms, the academicians say this will restrict research in foreign universities on the subjects like the caste system in Hindu religion, gender inequality in India, Brhminical cultural traditions, poverty in the context of caste and similar subjects. The say the guidelines have come at a time when the caste and gender discrimination in India has attracted criticism abroad and triggered debates in the west.
Quoting Prof. Deepak Malghan of IIM Bangalore, Calcutta daily The Telegraph, said: “The government is clearly paranoid, unerved by academics based in western universities questioning the rising tide of majoritarian authoritarianism in India.”
The ministry has just advertised inviting applications from candidates under the NOS scheme up to March 31. The scheme is open to those with annual family income of less than Rs 8 lakh in the year prior to the application.
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