Panel to decide on incentives for PhD students within two months: Govt

An inter-ministerial committee has been set up to enhance the fellowship of PhD students and workout the incentives for research scholars within two months, a senior official said Thursday.

Apprising about the empowered committee, Department of Science and Technology Secretary Ashutosh Sharma said it will have officials from various ministries, who will examine all fellowship related matters that have a bearing on enhancing the value, quality and experience of doctoral research, including the quantum of fellowship.

"We want to look at the value of PhD in a holistic way. PhD students are the backbone in progress of a country as they strongly contribute to various fields.

"An empowered committee has been formed to bring all ministries together to periodically visit the quantum of fellowship and incentivise research," Sharma said, adding that the committee is likely to take a call on the incentivisation of top class research within a month or two.

He was speaking at a press conference held at the CSIR Science Centre, which was also attended by Renu Swarup, the secretary of the Department of Biotechnology (DST), and Shekhar C Mande, the director general of CSIR and secretary of the Department of Scientific & Industrial Research.

Union minister Harsh Vardhan, who could not attend the conference, later in an official statement said that he was happy about the initiative to provide financial and academic incentives to recognise performance of research fellows.

In the statement, the minister for Environment, Forests and Climate change, said "science and technology is a fast moving area in which a dynamic and holistic vision is required to secure the future of the nation and this will be a performance based addition to the enhanced fellowship."