New Delhi:
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal to implement the Prime Minister's Research Fellows (PMRF) scheme, under which the top 3,000 B.Tech graduates of the country will get grants to pursue a PhD in the IITs and IISc.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been quite vocal on the importance of innovation and technology for the progress and development of the nation.
The Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on February 1 announced a Prime Minister’s Research Fellows (PMRF) Scheme in the Union Budget. This scheme would cost Rs 1,650 crore for a period of seven years beginning 2018-19.
This fellowship scheme is a key to achieving his vision of development through innovation. The scheme was announced in the Budget speech 2018-19.
Under this scheme, the meritorious students who have completed or are in the final year of B.Tech or Integrated M.Tech or M.Sc. in Science and Technology streams from IISc/IITs/NITs/IISERs/IIITs will be offered direct admission in the PhD programme in the IITs/IISc.
Such students, who fulfil the eligibility criteria, and are shortlisted through a selection process, as laid down in the PMRF guidelines, will be offered a fellowship of Rs 70,000 per month for the first two years, Rs 75,000 per month for the third year, and Rs 80,000 per month in the fourth and fifth years.
