Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship (राजीव गांधी फेलोशिप २०१३): Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship (RGNF) scheme initiated by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. The scheme is open to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribe students. The RGNF for SC students is formulated and funded by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. Whereas the RGNF for ST students is formulated and funded by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
Graduate, Post Graduate Students and Research Fellows can also find more Fellowship Articles to explore various fellowships across India to know the funding opportunities.
Rajiv Gandhi fellowship offers support to SC and ST candidates who desire to pursue higher studies such as regular and full-time M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees. These degrees can be pursued in Science, Humanities, Social Sciences, Engineering, and Technology. Candidates who belong to SC and ST categories can only apply for this fellowship.
Application for RGNF Fellowship releases on the official website of the University Grants Commission (UGC). Candidates can fill the application and apply for RGNF in the last week of November 2023. The article below provides complete information about Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship for SC.
Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship 2023
Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship Scheme encourages SC and ST students from lower-income families to pursue higher education. RGNF helps the candidates from the deprived section of society to undertake advanced studies and research. The objective of this fellowship is to provide fellowships in the form of financial support to SC/ST students. These students can complete higher education without financial hassle.
The RGNF 2023 is also available for those SC/ST students who study M.Phil., Ph.D., Engineering and Technology courses every year. There are 2000 seats available for SC and 667 seats for ST candidates every year for all the subjects. Govt. of India has reserved 3% fellowships for disability candidates who belong to SC categories. UGC Rajiv Gandhi Fellowship’s last date is March 15 2023.
Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship Overview
| Particulars | Details |
| Conducting Body | Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment for Scheduled Caste Ministry of Tribal Affairs for Scheduled Tribe |
| Fellowship Name | Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship, Rajiv Gandhi scholarship |
| Awards | The selected candidates get the amount of Rs.28,000/- per month along with contingency grant, HRA, and allowances for PH and blind candidates |
| Last Date for Submission of RGNF Application | Last Week of July 2023 |
| Website | https://www.ugc.ac.in/ |
Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship RGNF Scholarship Scheme 2023 Dates
| Main Events | Dates |
| Starting Date to Apply Online | Update Soon |
| Last date to Apply | Update Soon |
| Starting Date of documents verification | Update Soon |
| Releasing of merit list | Update Soon |
| Allocation of financial support | Update Soon |
Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship Eligibility Criteria
Candidates must fulfill the following eligibility criteria to apply for RGNF
- Candidate must belong to SC and ST categories.
- The candidate should have passed the postgraduate examination.
- Candidates must be registered themselves for full-time M.Phil/Ph.D. degrees.
- Candidates register as regular students in University/Institute/Colleges recognized by UGC under Section 2 (f) of the UGC Act/ICAR.
- Candidate belongs to the transgender category are also eligible.
Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship Selection Process
The Selections for RGNF made on the basis of merit and as per the procedures of the Commission. The Commission scrutinizes and selects the received applications. The final selection depends on the decision of the Commission. The Commission has the right to withdraw/cancel the award without conveying any reason.
After these formalities, the candidates Joining Report will be duly signed by the supervisor/head of the department. Then, it will be sent to the UGC through the Registrar/ Director/ Principal. The first-year admissible grant releases on receipt of the Joining Report and other required documents. Otherwise, the concerned university will be informed to release the grant.
This grant releases from the funds which have sanctioned for this purpose by the Commission. Thereon, the fellows may get the amount from the institutions/bank after getting the UGC approval/award letter. Also, other expenses from the grants paid by the Commission in conformity with the rules. The payment of the fellowships will be transferred directly into the bank account of the beneficiaries.
Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship Terms and Conditions
- The duration of the RGNF scheme is initially two years.
- The work of the Fellow will be evaluated by a Committee of three members before the completion of this duration. These three committee members are the Head of the Department, Supervisor and one external subject expert. These members are to be constituted by the concerned Department/ University/ College.
- The tenure will be extended further based on the research work satisfaction. If the work is satisfactory, then tenure will be extended for 3 more years.
- The tenure will be extended under the enhanced emoluments of the Rajiv Gandhi National Senior Research Fellowship (RGNSRF).
- The recommendation of the Committee for upgrading the level of RGNSRF will be submitted to the UGC.
- The work status and the time spent on fellowships of any agency other than the UGC will not be accepted. The fellowship information from UGC only considers improving the value of fellowship.
- The fellowship may be withdrawn in case of dissatisfaction with the work. Also, if the candidate fails in any of the examinations related to Ph.D.
- In case the work for the first two years is not satisfied, an extra year will be given to a candidate for improvement.
- In this duration, the candidate will be designated as Rajiv Gandhi National Junior Research Fellow (RGNJRF).
- Again the work will be evaluated after completion of 2nd year of the tenure.
- If found any improvement, then the Fellow will get two more years under the RGNSRF.
- So, the total period of fellowship (RGNJRF and RGNSRF) is for five years, with no more provision of extension.
Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship Awards
RGNF aims to improve the low literacy levels of the SC/ST categories through higher education. The shortlisted candidates get financial help from the Govt. to pursue M.Phil./Ph.D. degrees under RGNF. Refer to the below award details of RGNF
| Particulars | Details |
| Fellowship Amount | RGNF JRF (Junior Research Fellow) candidates receive a fellowship amount of Rs. 25,000/- per month for the initial two years. RGNF JRF candidates promoted to SRF (Senior Research Fellow) receive a fellowship amount of Rs.28,000/- per month for the remaining three years. |
| Contingency grant for Humanities and Social Sciences | An amount of Rs.10,000/- per annum for the initial two years. An amount of Rs.20,500/- per annum for remaining tenure. |
| Contingency grant for Science, Engineering, and Technology | An amount of Rs.12,000/- per annum for the initial two years. An amount of Rs.25,000/- per annum for the remaining three years. |
| Escorts/Reader Assistance to PH Candidates | An amount of Rs.2,000/- per month |
| Departmental Assistance for providing infrastructure to the host institution | An amount of Rs.3,000/- per annum for each student |
| House Rent Allowance (HRA) | As per rules of the University/Institution/Colleges |
| Medical | As per rules of the University/Institution/Colleges |
Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship Application Process
The application for RGNF releases online on the official website of UGC. Candidates can fill and submit the application in the last week of October 2023. Candidates can apply for this scholarship through the UGC website. It is a platform run by Govt. of India for coordinating, deciding and maintaining teaching standards, examination and research in University. Candidates must read the instructions carefully before filling the RGNF application. Make sure to keep ready all the relevant documents prior to fill the RGNF application form. Refer to the below points to apply for RGNF Scholarship.
- Visit the official website of UGC, New Delhi, India.
- Click on the “e-SARTS” link that appeared under “Quick Links” on the home page.
- Check the National Fellowship for Scheduled Caste Student’s details that appeared under the Fellowship section.
- Similarly, check the National Fellowship for Higher Education of ST Student’s details.
- Candidates can click on the “See Details Info” to apply for the desired fellowship.
- After that, click on “Apply Now” to open the application form.
- Fill in the correct and necessary information as per the RGNF instruction.
- Recheck the filled application to avoid rejection by the RGNF committees during verification.
- Upload the required documents along with the RGNF application.
- Finally, submit the RGNF filled application along with the documents.
Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship Checklist of Documents
Candidates must upload the scanned copy of essential documents along with the application. The following is the list of essential documents to apply for RGNF.
- Candidates caste certificate only in pdf, jpg or gif format issued by the competent authority
- Specific disability certificate, if required
- Post-graduation mark sheet only in pdf, jpg, or gif format
- Certificate from the Head of the Department /Institution stating that the required facilities will be provided by the Institution/College/University if the candidate gets selected for RGNF
Contact Details
In case of any queries related to RGNF send the queries to Email ID – [email protected]
FAQ’s on Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship
Question 1.
What is Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship?
Answer:
Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship also known as RGNF is an initiative of the Government. It offers support to SC and ST candidates for pursuing full-time M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees.
Question 2.
Is RGNF open to all category candidates?
Answer:
No, the RGNF scheme is open to only Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribe category candidates.
Question 3.
What are the streams offered to pursue M.Phil and Ph.D. degrees?
Answer:
The degrees can be pursued in Science, Humanities, Social Sciences, Engineering and Technology streams.
Question 4.
What is the last date to submit the RGNF application?
Answer:
The last date for submitting the RGNF application is the last week of November 2023.
Question 5.
How many seats are available for SC and ST candidates in RGNF?
Answer:
There are 2000 seats available for SC and 667 seats for ST candidates. However, 3% of fellowships reserved for PH candidates who belong to SC categories.
We hope this article will help you to get more information about RGNF 2023. If you have queries related to RGNF, then leave them in the comment box to get in touch with us.