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JNUSU .

UGC Retracts Its Stalling Order !Fresh Clarification To Be Sent To Universities By Monday I .

29.11.07.

Students United Shall Always Be Victorious IJNUSUcongratulatesthe studentcommunity for theirmassive participation intoday'sprotest demonstration at the UGC.Respondingto JNUSU's.

Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi University(Wardha) and Maulana Azad National University(Hyderabad) -.

call for amassivedemonstration,studentsfromother Central universities-DU,Jamia,Allahabad University,AMU,Benaras Hindu University,numbers in a spirited showof action and solidarity. We also congratulate the JNUTA for sending astatement of solidarity on this issue. .

participated in largethe JNUSU-Ieddelegation participated by students from other universities as well.Anumberof significant advances have been achieved bythe student Faced with thislarge student mobilization, the UGCwas forced to take back its anti-studentd~cisions with regard to fellowships in the meeting with.

JNUSU is committed toaforceful articulation of student demands for financial assistance. so as toenablestudents to pursue their research without any .

financial obstacles. .

movement fromIeday's demonstration. These advances arean initialachievement. but the larger struggle for financial assistance still continues. .

the setting up of acommittee of Vice-Chancellors of fivecentral universities. tolook into the modeof disbursalof these fellowships. However, in a In arecentcircular,the UGC had declared abar on any fresh disbursaloffurtherfellowships for Central University Research Scholars,following.

significant retraction, the UGC Chairperson admitted that the earlier circular was an error, and that the UGC would send a fresh.

not be stalled. .

circular by Monday to all Universities, amending its earlier order, and categorically stating that the Rs. 3000/5000 fellowships wouldThe UGC Chairperson made clear that the VC's Committte would concern itself w1th framing guidelines for admission into the M.Phii/Ph.O programmes of various central universities rather than creating any discriminatory criterion on disbursalof fellowshipsamong research scholars. He reiterated that the UGC would not stall the disbursal of fellowships while thes~ yuidelines are being framed, nor would these .

guidelines be applied through retrospective effect..

It is important to note, the basic point that JNUSU had been persistently mak.

l r~ t~-·:roughout this crisis. In the wake of the VC's.

scholars in all central universities cannot be tampered with in any pretext of "frarww: ~~~.

Committee, JNUSU made it loud and clear that the basic character of this fell01.1,5rdp i.e. its universal applicability to research.

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delines". In light of today's clarification by UGC it is clear that JNUSU's basic point regarding universal applicability have been n~held.

(~l)-- part of UGC . , and that this scholarship will neither be~ stalled nor restricted through any 'guidelines'. JNUSU welcomes this reiteration or' !l!ltdamental character of this fellowship on the.

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In the July 12 agreement srgned w1th JNUSU. the JNUadministration had agreed to cons1der the demand and pursue the matterwith the UGC.While .

JNUSU has had aconsistent and pnncipled position that the cut-off dateof the disbursal cr I! .e Rs3000/5000 fellowships should be July2005..

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(/) suggestion in this matter. At one pomt. the UGC officials stated that they were also ready to send awritten communication to various universities, the UGC failed to give any coherent response with respect to the demand, it agreed, however, that the new committee can come upwith acoherentsuggesting that the cut-offdate be as per the date of notification of fellowship, but that the UGC would allow the universities to fix an earlier cut-off date, .

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1f they so aesired However.JNUSU's assessment from today's discussion is that both UGC and the university administrations are only .

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throwing the ball in each others court, and refusing to take a responsible pro-student position on the issue, for it involves the bigger.

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undertake. JNUSU is committed to carry on a consistent struiggle on the issue of.ci,JH>ff date in the days to come. .

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question of prioritization of the UGC funds away fron-1needless and wasteful expenditure that university administrators are proneto.

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0CD JNUSU has been demanding separate National-level scholarships for physically:cnrJI!tinged [PHcategory}students equivalent to the~ higher education and research. The UGC stated that within existing fellowships, the ame\Jnt given to PH students could be increased, .

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RaJIV Gandhi fellowships since they have struggle relentlessly to access books and facilities.bul :1:1sKaspecial assistance scheme to support them in.

and there could be a differential enhancement for readers, assistants and softwarE:. lhe UGC also assured that it would writeto the .

Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to set up such a national scholarstr;p s~heme for students of the PH category, as .

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demanded by JNUSU..

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With regard to the Rajiv Gandhi Fellowship,JNUSU soughtto bring it to the urgent notie;e of the UGC that the disbursal of this fellowship had .

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not taken place after March,and that various hurdles were being created to prevent students fmm being able to access this fellowship amount. The .

UGC stated that since the fund for this fellowship isprovided by the Ministry of SocialJustice and Ministry ofTribalAffairs,they wouldwrite to them .

~ immediately,and that all the problems in this matter would be resolved within three Wt:ijks. .

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(/. In the matterof MCMfor minority students, the UGC stated il was committed toimplementing therecommendations of the Sachar Committee.

scholarship for students from the minority communities. The UGC officials also stated !hat they would do effective advertising for the .

I' report and that its minority education wing would look into the matter of a financ.ial estimate and a meaningful and worthwhile.

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Single Girl Child Scholarship, and consider JNUSU's demand of removing the bar on number of students [1200] who can apply for .

C' fellowship, as exists at present. .

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((" JNUSU also raised the issue of increasing the JRF and SRF given by CSIR,anddem~n(led that paritybe establishedbetween the UGCand .

CSIR scholarships. In response. the UGC stated thatit accepts the demand in principle, but since CSIR is adifferent body, it would use its working relationship with the CSIR to pursue the matter..

JNUSU will keep avigilant watch on each of these promises madeby theUGC, ar· t· d s· eethat they are upheld in spirit and practise.

will be heightened in the days to come, and any reneging on the part of the authoralike.The co-ordinated mobilization of central universities that JNUSU has started on n·~e issue of financial assistance and fellowships.

will be strongly resisted by the student community. .

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Sandeep Singh be it the UGC or university administrationsPresident. JNUSU Shephalika ShekharVtcH-PresidP.nt .JNUSIJ Pallavl O~l<a Md Mobeen AlamGen (,,.. , INUSU.

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