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UGC extends Last Date to Apply for National Fellowship for Persons with Disabilities (NFPWD)
University Grants Commission (UGC) on behalf of the Department
of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice
and Environment issued an invitation for applications for the National
Fellowship for Persons with Disabilities from all the eligible candidates for
the academic year 2020-2021. Per the notification, the deadline for the
applications was set to be 17th of January, 2021, which has now been extended
to the 15th of February, 2021.
This scheme from the DEPwD aims at granting fellowships to all
the candidates with disabilities, who fall under the purview of the Persons
with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full
Participation) Act, 1995. For any aspiring candidate to avail of the benefits
under the said act, they must first obtain a certificate of disability from the
relevant medical authority for the purpose.
Selection Procedure:
Applicants who wish to apply for the fellowship, can do so on
the UGC website on or before 15th of February, 2021, at: https://www.ugc.ac.in/ugc.schemes
It is pertinent to note that all selections for the fellowship
will be made solely by the UGC, while the communications regarding the same
with the candidates will be done by the DEPwD, Ministry of Social Justice and
Empowerment.
This scheme of the DEPwD holds under its ambit all the
Universities and Institutions which are recognized by the UGC or GOI. However,
the scheme is available only to the students of any such universities and
institutions and not for the employees, even if they are on an Extra Ordinary
Leave (EOL) or a study leave.
Fellowship Provisions:
The notification mentions different courses and their timelines
per the duration and payment of the fellowship. Courses including M. Phil to be
completed within 2 years while Ph. D. for 5 years and a course with both M.
Phil and Ph. D must be completed in 5 years or until the submission of thesis,
whichever happens to be earlier. Depending on the position of the fellowship
and the stream of study and research, the amount varies from Rs. 2000/- per
month to Rs. 35,000/- per month. There is also a provision for an awardee to
have an extension of tenure for up to 3 years, if their initial research work
of 2 years is found to be satisfactory.
The fellowship is set to commence from the 1st of
April, 2020 or the actual date of admission or registration of the candidate
for the courses, whichever happens to be later.
While the fellowship funds allows the selected candidates to
draw their hostel accommodation fees for staying in the institution’s hostel,
it does not include other charges that cover mess, water, electricity, and the
likes. If there is no availability of a hostel, the institution itself may
provide the Fellow with a suitable accommodation. Such Fellows are allowed to
draw the House-Rent Allowance (HRA) subject to the ceiling of HRA set by the
GOI. But the ones with hostel accommodation do not have the same privilege.
Should a Fellow not choose any of the two options but want to choose
accommodation of their own preference, their HRA would be given to them per the
city categorization by the GOI.
The medical facilities of the University or Institutions will be
made available to the candidates albeit no other medical costs would be borne
by the funds of the fellowship.
The notification also provides for the candidates to avail maximum
leaves of 30 days in one year excluding public holidays, but no exclusive
vacations like the summer or winter vacations. Should there also be candidates
requiring maternity or paternity leaves during the duration of their
fellowship, they would be paid the full rates of the fellowship.
If a candidate gets an opportunity to or is required to travel
abroad with respect to their research work, or gets a teaching assignment
concerning the same during the tenure of their fellowship, the fellow is
entitled to an Academic Leave of a maximum of one year. However, the
expenditure for such a travel cannot be withdrawn from the funds of the
fellowship.
The payment of fellowship will be done only on the bank account
of the beneficiaries on Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode. For this, the
document of identity is the Aadhar Card(Section 7, Aadhar Act, 2016) per the
notification number 428, issued by the Ministry of Social Justice in 2017.
Award Cancellation:
A fellow may be denied the fellowship or a given fellowship may
be cancelled if the fellow,
a. Misconducts
b. Displays an unsatisfactory level of progress in their
research work
c. Is employed during the tenure of their research in M. Phil or
Ph. D
d. Is found to be ineligible for the award later after being
deemed eligible prima facie.
e. Already has the benefit of another fellowship or a
scholarship from other sources.
f. Is found to have furnished any wrong information or partook
in a fraudulent activity.
Accordingly, students are urged to submit their applications in
time, on or before 15th February 2021.
EduLegaL | mail@edulegal.in
EduLegaL View:
UGC
has issued an invitation for applications for the National Fellowship for
Persons with Disabilities from all the eligible candidates for the academic
year 2020-2021. Per the notification, the deadline for the applications was set
to be 17th of January, 2021, which has now been extended to the 15th of
February, 2021