JOIN USBackward classes advance in research
Statistics in the last five years have shown that the number of students receiving junior research fellowship (JRF) through the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and University Grants Commission’s National Eligibility Test (NET) has increased by 279 per cent (from 303 in 2005 to 846 in 2009).
As many as 393 SC/ST students cracked the exam in 2006, which increased steadily to 573 in 2007 and 699 in 2008.
R A Mashelkar, former CSIR director-general told Deccan Herald said grants can make much difference to many students from backward communities where it is often harder to make both ends meet. “A part of my salary used to take care of our family needs. The scholarship can make huge difference to the lives of these students,” said Mashelkar, a Fellow of the Royal Society.
Those awarded NET scholarships can either stay with one of the CSIR institutions or move to other institutions to pursue careers in research or teaching. Currently, the CSIR supports 1,215 budding SC/ST scientists out of which 842 are JRF; 295 are senior research fellows who have come through the NET; 67 are SRF selected directly and 11 are research associates.
The number of SC/ST candidates coming through the scholarship system is more than the OBC and general category students. Between 2005 and 2009, the number of successful JRF winners from OBC/General has increased by 211 per cent as against the 279 per cent in the SC/ST category.
Scholars from the backward communities are also winning the prestigious Bhatnagar Awards and selected directors of national laboratories on merit basis in the last two years, an indication that the advancement is happening even at the top rung of research.
The CSIR currently has three SC/ST laboratory directors, whose caste identity is under wraps and is known only to a few at the headquarters.
“The excellence is completely inclusive. The reservation is at the entry level after which they rise through the ranks. The results are encouraging and positive,” said Samir K Brahmachari, CSIR Director-General.