Stipend anomalies at Hisar agri university
The recent student agitation at Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University (HAU) was triggered by a major policy shift in the distribution of stipends to meritorious students. Both current and former students expressed strong opposition, claiming that the decision to curtail the merit stipend was unprecedented and unjustified.
The HAU admits 30% of its MSc students through the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) quota, via the All India Entrance Examination for Admission (AIEEA), while the remaining 70% are selected through the university’s entrance exam. ICAR and HAU both provide stipends, though the criteria and amounts differ significantly.
According to university officials, the HAU offers a monthly stipend of Rs 3,000 to all MSc students, while those scoring 75% and above receive Rs 6,000 as a merit stipend. The controversy began when the HAU decided to restrict the merit stipend to only 25% of eligible students.
In contrast, ICAR provides substantially higher scholarships without linking them to university exam scores—Rs 5,000 to Rs 12,600 per month for MSc students and Rs 35,000 to Rs 42,000 for PhD scholars, with an annual contingency of Rs 10,000, say students.
University officials argued that stipend policies vary across states and universities, with some states funding stipends directly and others leaving it to institutional discretion. For example, Rajasthan offers scholarships based on caste criteria. They also noted that while some institutions offer more financial aid than the HAU, others offer less.
Students estimated that the proposed revision would have saved the university about Rs 2.5 crore annually, affecting nearly 140 students across MSc and PhD programmes.
Under the existing policy, PhD students receive Rs 5,000 as a regular stipend and Rs 10,000 as a merit scholarship. The same 25% merit cap was proposed for PhD students as well, with the rest receiving only the base amount.
Dr Rajbir Garg, a university official, clarified that the stipend cut decision had already been rolled back. He explained that the original changes were driven by financial constraints—the merit stipend budget had grown from Rs 75 lakh in 2017 to Rs 9 crore, a steep rise without corresponding budgetary support.
He said the stipend system was introduced in 2017 to reward academic excellence, replacing the earlier model where only one top student per department received a scholarship. At that time, MSc stipends were raised from Rs 600 to Rs 3,000 and merit stipends from Rs 2,000 to Rs 6,000. PhD stipends also saw a significant hike.
Emphasising the administration’s openness, Dr Garg urged the students to engage in dialogue, assuring them that their concerns had been addressed.
Haryana Tribune