More than 5,000 research candidates of the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) have joined a nation-wide movement demanding a hike in their fellowship amount. They have sent a draft proposal seeking 80 per cent hike in the stipend to the Ministry of Human Resources and Development (MHRD), which issues the grants for the fellowships. The students have planned to stage a silent protest if there is no response from the ministry before December 20.

The candidates who are a part of the protest include M.Tech, M.Phil, PhD, junior and senior research fellows and research associates. According to them, their stipends were revised last in 2014 with an assurance that it would undergo revision every year. Though their expenses have increased over the years, there has been no review of the fellowships.