Pune: Research scholars under SARTHI, BARTI, and Mahajyoti are yet to receive their promised fellowships, stalling the academic progress of 2,699 students.

Despite the Maharashtra government’s approval of a 100% fellowship scheme for all applicants earlier this year, the funds remain undisbursed.

The issue has left 969 SARTHI scholars, 861 BARTI scholars, and 869 Mahajyoti scholars struggling to continue their research. These institutes had assured students of financial assistance to pursue their studies, but delays in the process have caused frustration.

In August, after protests at Azad Maidan, then-Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had assured students that their demands would be met. Despite this, no funds have been transferred.

SARTHI Managing Director Ashok Kakade was unavailable for comment, while students expressed their grievances about wasted time and resources.

Key Challenges

• Mandatory Attendance Clause: Students who missed mandatory attendance due to participation in protests are now demanding flexibility in this requirement.

• Document Submission Delays: Researchers are being asked for documents not previously listed, adding to their frustration.

Impact on Academic Progress:

Two years of valuable research time have already been lost, and further delays could jeopardize academic and career goals.

BARTI Director-General Sunil Ware assured that a new web portal is under development to streamline the process and facilitate faster disbursement of fellowships.

Students, however, have called for urgent government intervention, stressing that further delays would cause irreparable damage to their academic and professional futures.