- The major objective of this fellowship is to grant five-year fellowships in the form of financial aid to students from six notified minority communities, namely Buddhist, Christian, Jain, Muslim, Parsi, and Sikh, who wish to pursue M. Phil or Ph.D. degrees.
- The scheme covers all Universities/Institutions recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC) as under:
a. Central/State Universities (including constituent and associated institutions) included under Section 2(f) of the UGC Act, 1956 and possessing valid NAAC accreditation.
b. Considered Universities, as defined by Section 3 of the UGC Act, are institutions of higher education that have been designated as deemed universities by the Central Government in collaboration with the UGC and have received valid NAAC certification.
c. A state or federally financed institution with the authority to grant degrees.
d. Ministry of Human Resource Development-designated Institutions of National Importance .
- The Fellowship will be implemented by the Ministry of Minority Affairs through UGC. The fellowship holders under this Fellowship will be known as Ministry of Minority Affairs scholars.
Scope of this fellowship
The Fellowship would be available to students from minority communities who are pursuing regular and full-time research studies leading to the achievement of an M.Phil/Ph.D degree in India. This will make them eligible for jobs that need M.Phil. or Ph.D., such as Assistant Professorships in various academic institutions.
Implementing Authority
The UGC will serve as the lead agency for administering the MANF Scheme, ensuring that it is included in the National Testing Agency’s (NTA) Notification/Press Release for the UGC-NET and Joint CSIR-UGC NET examinations.
