Kolkata, The Tani: 13 March 2024, (Updated 5 March 2024, 1:22 PM IST):
Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh emphasized the importance of the newly launched 'Common Fellowship Portal' (https://fellowships.gov.in/) during his address at the National Media Centre in New Delhi. He highlighted that this portal, in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of "Ease of Doing science," will simplify the application process for aspiring students and StartUps. By creating a profile on the portal, applicants can conveniently fill out different applications using the same information. This centralized platform will not only save time and energy but also provide comprehensive information and enable easy submission of applications.
Dr. Singh also mentioned that the portal will soon include application forms from other departments, such as ICMR, UGC, and AICTE, in addition to the current collaboration with DST, DBT, and CSIR. Furthermore, he highlighted the unique
feature of the portal, the Eligibility Calculator, which will serve as a gateway for research aspirations by allowing applicants to check their eligibility for various fellowship schemes and act as a data repository.
Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh made it clear that PM Modi has emphasized the importance of providing equal opportunities and a level playing field to students and scholars from all parts of India, including the most remote areas. He expressed his confidence that in the future, efforts will be made to establish a connection between academia and industry, and to prevent the brain drain from our country. During his address, Dr. Jitendra Singh congratulated the team from the Department of Biotechnology, led by Dr. Rajesh Gokhale, for developing the Common Fellowship Portal, which will benefit PhD and Post-doctoral students across the country. He mentioned that this
achievement sets a benchmark in technology and serves as an example for other departments.
Dr. Jitendra Singh also extended his congratulations to the Working Group, which consists of HRD divisions of DBT, CSIR, and INSPIRE, as well as the KIRAN Divisions of the DST. He acknowledged their hard work in designing and successfully onboarding application forms for various schemes of the Ministry. He recognized that coordinating, gathering, and mapping information from different departments to develop a common portal is not an easy task. The launch ceremony was attended by Dr. Rajesh Gokhale, Secretary of the Department of Biotechnology, Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Secretary of the Department of Science & Technology, Dr. Sanjay Mishra, Senior Advisor, Dr. Pragya Palliwal Gaur, Director General of the Press Information Bureau, and Ms. Namita Gupta, Head of INSPIRE.
Source: PIB