Wrote this as mail to rsc_hrd@sansad.nic.in and committeehrd@gmail.com.
Dear committee members, I read the advertisement and understood as “UGC wants some suggestions to improve its functions for the welfare of the public” and writing the following. If the theme is not this please ignore.
I want to point mainly two things.
I. I am from Tamilnadu. Like all other states, we do have a high court in our capital city, Chennai. We also have a branch of the high court in Madurai, separated from more than 450 kilometers. I don’t know whether any other state has a branch of the high court in two different cities.
It can be interpreted in another way like this: Madras high court functions in northern as well as in southern Tamilnadu for organizational reasons like too much workflow which results in the delay in judgments and verdicts.
One more very important advantage is a person from southern part no need to travel much for the high court, he can go to Madurai instead of Chennai. In this way, the people of the entire state have equal opportunity in approaching the high court.
Coming to UGC, whether it is giving equal opportunities for a south Indian and north Indian in access? NO.
Let’s consider one issue, where exists for decades in UGC governance. I am working in a CSIR lab where many of the UGC- Junior Research Fellows and Senior Research Fellows are working. I personally know people who are not getting their fellowships for 3 months, 6 months, one year and more than one year.
If they want to clarify their issue, they cannot get it done by writing instead they need to travel to Delhi from the southern end. Even UGC website holds a notation which directs visiting hours for this issue.
This occurs because of two reasons:
1. UGC doesn’t have enough manpower/resources to deal with these issues.
2. UGC doesn’t want to increase manpower/resources to deal with these issues.
What can be done?
1. UGC can set up a branch below the equator. Because, a north Indian, let’s take he/she is from Delhi can take a half day break from his/her routine and get things done.
But, a south Indian need to book a flight, ask 3-4 days leave just to solve this scholarship issue in a condition where he is not getting money for nearly a year.
2. If UGC finds the above difficult, they can increase the manpower who can solve this only through e-communication or they can make a change in advertisement for JRF examination as, “UGC will issue Quarterly, Half-yearly and annual fellowships only” so that somebody from poor background will not suffer by believing the current notation: monthly stipend.
Being independent and being democratic means giving equal opportunities to all. Because seeing the Thiruvalluvar statue in kanniyakumari from Delhi is difficult and vice versa. UGC should do any of this and should be an example for other funding agencies like CSIR, DBT and DST etc. in the future.
II. This has been a long time debate.
The resources are given access to a college student and a university student doing the same course is not the same.
I understand the fee structure, competition, and limited funding are the reasons. But with time UGC should reduce this distance starting from libraries, sports, and laboratory facilities.
I am not willing to appear before the committee for oral evidence because I am living in Thiruvananthapuram and committee assembles only in Delhi.
S.vijayakumar
25-06-2018
09.33 am
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