In first year, PM's Research Fellowship awarded to 135 of promised 1,000

The scholarship is a generous amount starting at Rs 70,000 per month for the first two years (with additional research and travel grants) awarded to 1,000 students pursuing their undergraduate studies

To boost the prospects of PhD students, the Government of India has instituted a large investment in the form of the Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship (PMRF) for 1,000 students from elite government-run institutes in the country. However, only 135 candidates were chosen for the honour this year. We are two PhD students and alumni of these “elite” institutes, and we analyse what these awards mean for the recipients, the students and the science they leave out of consideration.

Quoting from the PMRF webpage, the “scheme is aimed at attracting the talent pool of the country to doctoral programs