JNU hikes PhD seats in Sciences stream

The JNU administration has increased a few PhD seats at some of its centres and schools, amid continuing strike of students union against "massive" seat cut in MPhil and PhD courses.
All the increased seats come under the centres and schools of Sciences stream, while no seats have been increased in social sciences, arts and aesthetics, and language literature and culture studies, sources said.
The students organisations including JNUSU and ABVP said that the seats were increased after corrections in calculations and there was "no actual increase" as such.
The changes in number of seats at various centres and schools were mentioned in a 'corrigendum' on official website of JNU.

"It is mostly the courses in Sciences stream that stand benefited due probably to recalculation of vacancies which has been corrected and 48 seats have been increased," said Saurabh Sharma, ABVP leader in JNU.
"Either the centres and schools sent wrong data or they sent it too late that led to seat cuts. ABVP made all efforts in reaching out to the Deans of every school so that at least some seats could be added for admission this year," Sharma said.

Sharma said that an ABVP delegation met the UGC Chairman and JNU vice chancellor in last two days, to ensure that number of seats were increased.

JNUSU president Mohit Pandey said that an official announcement of number of seats following the latest change is awaited.
"This is not an increase, the administration has just corrected the errors committed in calculations," he said.
Attempts to get comments of JNU authorities on the matter did not elicit any response.