UGC releases list of schemes which are 'to be continued until September'

The national higher education funding and regulating agency, University Grants Commission (UGC), released a list of schemes for which the funding will be continued.

The national higher education funding and regulating agency, University Grants Commission (UGC), released a list of schemes for which the funding will be continued. According to a Commission official, the 'continuation of the schemes given until September 30' is an 'interim measure' in the wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak.  

However, he further added that decision regarding some schemes is still pending as they are under consideration. An official announcement regarding those schemes will be made soon after a decision.

The schemes which UGC considered to continue include various fellowships and scholarships such UGC research awards for faculty, fellowships for doctoral students, fellowships for post-doctoral researchers, Maulana Azad national fellowship for minority' students, scholarships for post-graduate students, national fellowship for students with disabilities, national fellowship for SC candidates and national fellowship for other backward classes.

Schemes such as Swachh Bharat- Swasth Bharat Abhiyan, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), National Skills Qualification Framework and Consortium for Academic and Research Ethics (CARE) are also included in the list.

While talking about the decision an official stated, “Every scheme or scholarship or fellowship has its own guidelines on how it should be run. It was the time of the year to make a decision on the continuation of schemes, and as part of that, this announcement has been made as an interim measure".

He further revealed that the continuation of the schemes after September will be decided later.

Meanwhile, talking about anticipated fund cuts towards its various projects due to the spread of contagious virus COVID-19, the official revealed that the commission only distributes funds. The decision is completely dependent upon the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD).

Read More: