Enhanced scholarship for MTech students soon

MTech students will soon get their revised post-graduate scholarship with the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry issuing a directive to the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to “immediately” disburse funds.

However, crediting of arrears to students’ bank account may take more time as the HRD Ministry would require at least Rs 1100 crore fund for their immediate settlement.

“The Ministry has taken up the matter with the Ministry of Finance and is hoping to get a positive response. If the arrears have to be settled today, the Ministry would require at least Rs 1100 crore fund,” sources told Deccan Herald. 

While the consultations with the Finance Ministry over payment of arrears is on, the AICTE has been asked to immediately start releasing the enhanced scholarship to students from the funds available with it, they added.

The ministry had notified the revised rates of the post-graduate scholarships (GATE/GPAT scholarship) for MTech students with effect from December 12, 2014, increasing the amount of monthly stipend from Rs 8000 to 12,400 per month.

However, the AICTE could not disburse it due to paucity of funds. About two months after notifying hike in the post-graduate scholarship, the HRD Ministry witnessed a steep cut in its allocations when Finance Minister Arun Jaitley presented the Budget for 2015-16 in Parliament.

As a result, those pursuing MTech in technical institutes operating under the jurisdiction of state governments remained the prime sufferers. Those who cleared their MTech last year are still waiting for their arrears.

“Students of IITs and NITs remained unaffected as they have an entirely different system for these things. We have been relentlessly waiting for our enhanced scholarship for last 13 months. This month also, we got Rs 8000 as stipend. There are about 500 such students in my institute only,” a student of the Delhi Technological University Ravi Ranjan (name changed) told Deccan Herald.

Students getting admissions to MTech programme on the basis of their score in the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering become beneficiary of the scholarship. Those getting admission to MPharma programmes on the basis of their score in Graduate Pharmacy Aptitude Test (GPAT) are also eligible for the scheme.