The Ministry of Minority Affairs implements the Maulana Azad National Fellowship (MANF) Scheme for educational empowerment of students belonging to six notified minority communities i.e. Sikh, Buddhist, Christian, Jain, Muslim, Zoroastrian (Parsi) who pursue regular and full time M. Phil and Ph.D courses. 1251 fellowships were awarded under the Scheme during the academic year 2019-20 and 607 fellowships have so far been awarded during the academic year 2020-21 (provisional data; the NTA examination for December, 2020 is yet to be conducted). The MANF scheme, inter-alia, stipulates that in case sufficient candidates, who have already secured admission are not available, candidates who have not yet secured admission will also be selected in the order of merit in the NET examination, conducted for the year, and the validity period of the offer is three years w.e.f. the date of issue of the JRF Award letter under the scheme. The State/UT-wise details of fellowships sanctioned for the years 2019-20 and 2020-21 is annexed. There is no Transgender beneficiary under ‘Maulana Azad National Fellowship Scheme’ for the academic years 2019-20 and 2020-21.
The Data Reporting System of the University Grants Commission (UGC), which implements MANF Scheme for the Ministry of Minority Affairs, does not collate data of the beneficiaries who have completed their PhD and/or MPhil programme under the Scheme.
Annexure
| The details of State/UT-wise fellowships sanctioned during the last two years i.e. 2019-20 and 2020-21 under Maulana Azad Fellowship Scheme | |
| States/UTs | Total |
| ANDHRA PRADESH | 7 |
| ARUNACHAL PRADESH | 7 |
| ASSAM | 53 |
| BIHAR | 44 |
| CHANDIGARH (UT) | 6 |
| CHHATTISGARH | 4 |
| DELHI | 130 |
| GOA | 2 |
| GUJARAT | 19 |
| HARYANA | 26 |
| HIMACHAL PRADESH | 11 |
| JAMMU & KASHMIR | 358 |
| JHARKHAND | 18 |
| KARNATAKA | 26 |
| KERALA | 230 |
| LADAKH | 7 |
| MADHYA PRADESH | 26 |
| MAHARASHTRA | 70 |
| MANIPUR | 20 |
| MEGHALAYA | 12 |
| MIZORAM | 5 |
| NAGALAND | 8 |
| ODISHA | 5 |
| PUDUCHERRY (UT) | 4 |
| PUNJAB | 114 |
| RAJASTHAN | 48 |
| SIKKIM | 10 |
| TAMIL NADU | 26 |
| TELANGANA | 14 |
| TRIPURA | 2 |
| UTTAR PRADESH | 343 |
| UTTARAKHAND | 17 |
| WEST BENGAL | 186 |
| Grand Total | 1858 |
* Provisional data; the NTA examination for December, 2020 is yet to be conducted.
This information was given by the Union Minister for Minority Affairs Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.
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