CSIR extends PhD fellowship deadline for upgradation to August 31; AIRSA lauds decision

NEW DELHI: The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has extended the last date for submission of documents for CSIR fellowship upgradation, extension, and continuation. The decision comes after the students urged the council to withdraw the cancellation of fellowship of 300 PhD scholars.

“The competent authority has been pleased to grant relaxation to the Research Fellows/Associates whose dates of assessment falls between 01-03-2020 to 29-02-2024, for submission of documents vis-à-vis their upgradations/ extensions/ continuations, as the case may be, till 31 August 2024,” the CSIR said.

“The applications of such Research Fellows/Associates, along with requisite documents for their upgradations/ extensions/ continuations, as the case may be, will be entertained till 31st August 2024,” the council informed.

The CSIR fellowship was cancelled for nearly 300 scholars due to delay in submission of the annual progress report to CSIR-Human Resource Development Group (HRDG).

Lauding the decision to extend the deadline for submission of documents, the All India Research Scholars Association (AIRSA) said: “We at AIRSA recognize the challenges faced by many research scholars due to unforeseen circumstances that can cause delays in completing their research work. This timely decision by CSIR will provide much-needed relief and support to countless researchers, allowing them to continue their valuable contributions to the scientific community without undue disruption.”

The research scholars association earlier wrote a letter to Union minister of science and technology Jitendra Singh requesting to cancel the termination of scholarships for PhD students.

“AIRSA remains committed to working collaboratively with CSIR to ensure a supportive and productive environment for all research scholars in India. We believe that this recent decision is a positive step in that direction,” AIRSA added.