Mumbai: No Scholarship Since 2021, Over 850 SC Students Protesting At Azad Maidan For 50 Days Now

Maharashtra govt says they cannot give the BARTI scholarship to more than 200 candidates. Protesting students want it for all on the lines of Sarathi and Mahajyoti fellowships.

SC Research Students Continue Protest Over BARTI Scholarship Money In Mumbai

For the past 50 days, as many as 861 research students from different parts of Maharashtra have been protesting at Azad Maidan in Mumbai due to non-payment of scholarship money. These Scheduled Caste students qualified for the scholarship after clearing the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Research and Training Institute (BARTI) exam. The government has cited a lack of funds as the reason why these students are waiting for their scholarship money. Currently, only 200 students are set to receive the scholarship, according to the government.

A research fellow at BARTI, an autonomous organisation under the social justice and special assistance department, is aupposed to get Rs 31,000 as a monthly stipend for the first two years, and Rs 35,000 a month for the next three years of PhD studies.

The protesting students' main grouse is that if the government could fund Sarathi and Mahajyoti fellowships to all selected students, why the number was being restricted for BARTI students. They want the scholarship for all 861 successful students and are camping at Azad Maidan to protest indefinitely. They spend the night at Buddha Vihara in Kalyan, and travel by local train to resume the protest the next morning. These students come from rural areas, with many having no access to basic facilities. They said they have worked hard to reach the PhD level and most are first-generation learners, from landless and farm labourer backgrounds, and brick kiln workers.

Madhuri Taide, one of the protesting students, said her mother works in a brick factory for Rs 180 a day, and her father works in a flour mill for a daily wage of Rs 250. Madhuri left home to pursue higher education, but does not have money to pay rent or buy food. She said she is now considering giving up her PhD studies and start working to support her family, as she is also under pressure to get married. Madhuri hopes to fulfill her parents' dreams, but without a scholarship, she may have to abandon her studies.

Prakash, another protesting student, who is from Dolara village in Loha taluka of Nanded district, said he is the first graduate and now a PhD student from his village. He has been able to study thus far only because of the scholarship from the government. Prakash's parents and brother are daily wage earners, together bringing home a meagre Rs 800 per day. Prakash is doing a PhD in English from Swami Ramanand Tirth Marathwada University. He received the scholarship in 2021 under BARTI, but has not received any money since. Prakash also said he might have to discontinue his education.

Pallavi Kamble, yet another protesting student, comes from a family of three brothers who are all studying with scholarships. Her elder brother is studying in America, while another brother is pursuing his PhD at Pune's ISEER. Pallavi is doing her PhD in Political Science. They are the most educated family in their village, thanks to the scholarship. The family has no source of regular income.

The students hope the government will fulfill its promise to provide scholarships to all Scheduled Caste students who cleared the BARTI exam.

What Does Maharashtra Government Say?

Speaking to ABP Live, Principal Secretary, Social Justice, Sumant Bhange said the protesting students are demanding that the scholarship given under the Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar National Research and Scholarship 2021 should be given to all the students who passed the examination, which is not feasible. "Out of 1,000 applications received by BARTI, 862 students have cleared the entrance exam, and the government has approved the fellowship for the first 200 students."

He said they could only give the scholarship to a certain number of students. "...the students who are protesting at Azad Maidan are demanding that all of them be given the scholarship. The government has a quota of funds for the Barti scholarship. We cannot fund more students than what we are currently giving scholarships to." 

The protesting students, however, said not giving scholarships was akin to depriving the students of education. They pointed out that while BARTI’s fellowship process for 2021 has not been completed yet, Sarathi, an organisation working for the Maratha community, awarded Maratha-Kunbi students with the Sarathi Fellowship for 2021 and 2022, and has already published its fellowship advertisement for the year 2023. Funded by the government, this scholarship was awarded to 551 students in 2021 and 851 candidates in 2022.

The state also funds the Mahajyoti, or the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Research & Training Institute, fellowship, and covered 1,291 students in 2022 and 756 candiates in 2021. In fact, according to official sources, the government had advertised 500 seats in 2021 but allowed in 756 candidates. In 2022, it allowed 1,091 students more than the 200 advertised seats.

At BARTI, in contrast, the process for 2022 scholarships is yet to take off with the 2021 process not completed yet. The institute, which has been awarding the scholarship to research students since 2012, selected 509 candidates each in 2019 and 2020 for the scholarship. While only 200 candidates were approved for the schorlarship in 2021, the payment is still awaited. 

'Country Needs Research And Leadership'

Professor Sunil Awachar, who teaches in Mumbai University, said the students must get the scholarship so research is not discontinued. "If we want to build a good society, it is necessary for the society to get good teachers. It helps to create a social leadership." 

Citing the example of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, who he said could not have studied in Europe had Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj not encouraged him and gave him a scholarship, Awachar said: "Today's politician needs to adopt this foresight. Because the country needs research and leadership in all fields, including social, political, literature and science. Therefore, the way that the state government has announced to give scholarships to the students of Sarathi and Mahajyoti, they should immediately provide scholarships to the rest of the BARTI students also without any injustice."

Nationalist Congress Party MLA Jitendra Awad, who joined the protesting students at Azad Maidan, promised to support them. "I will help to convey your questions to the government," he told them. "Today's students are tomorrow's researchers. Students will lay the foundation of a bright India. So is it the government's job to pay attention to them," he added.