NSUI protests outside Education Ministry alleging cuts in fellowships, recruitment irregularities

The National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) today staged a protest outside the Ministry of Education at Shastri Bhawan, alleging that the BJP-led Central government was dismantling student welfare schemes and targeting marginalised communities through cuts in fellowships and irregularities in recruitment.

A heavy police presence was deployed in an attempt to suppress what NSUI described as a peaceful protest.

Students protested against the 40% cuts and persistent delays in post-matric and pre-matric scholarships, which have severely impacted SC, ST, OBC, and minority students across the country.

They also condemned the discontinuation of the Maulana Azad National Fellowship (MANF), stating that its removal had forced thousands of minority students to abandon higher education and research.

The protesting students demanded revision of the National Eligibility Test (NET) fellowship amount, which has remained unchanged at Rs 8,000 per month since 2006.

With rising inflation and cost of living, the NSUI argued that the stipend should be brought on par with the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF).

The NSUI alleged large-scale irregularities in examinations conducted by the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) and Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), claiming that tenders were being awarded to blacklisted companies, thereby eroding public trust in these institutions.

Addressing the protestors, NSUI national president Varun Choudhary, said, “The government has waged a war against education. From stopping fellowships to manipulating recruitment exams, they are systematically pushing out the underprivileged.”

Choudhary added, "They want to run the education system with the ideology of Manusmriti — but we will hold the Constitution (Samvidhan) high."

Following the protest, hundreds of NSUI activists were forcefully detained by the police.