**Petition to increase the stipend for GATE-qualified MTech. and M.E students with Inflation adjustment arrears** 

This petition draws attention to a significant issue affecting many GATE-qualified postgraduate students in India, particularly those pursuing MTech. and M.E. programs at prestigious institutions such as IITs, NITs, and other AICTE-approved colleges. For the past 12 years, since 2014-15, the stipend grant has remained stagnant at Rs 12,400 per month, despite rising inflation and increases in per-student fees and other living expenses. Partly, the issue had been voiced in the past. In fact, back in 2025, it was announced that the stipend would be increased by 50 per cent to Rs 18,600. However, even this promise has remained unfulfilled. This stagnant stipend had/has severely impacted students, making it increasingly difficult to cover the costs of education and daily living. Looking back, one can observe that prior adjustments to the stipend, such as the increase from Rs 5,000 to Rs 8,000 and subsequently to Rs 12,400 between 2012 to 14, had brought some timely relief. 

However, since 2019, the lack of increments has been a source of incremental strain on student finances during a critical phase of academic and professional development. Commodity prices have been rising. Given the consistently rising cost of living and education in India, it's reasonable to expect the stipend to have been revised at least twice in the last decade. The stipend grant should have increased to Rs 16,800 back in the year 2019-20, followed by a subsequent adjustment in 2024-25 to a minimum of Rs 21,500. This would have been in line with the inflation rates and the precedent set by past increments.

The significance of increasing the stipend cannot be overstated. It directly affects students' ability to support themselves during their studies and impacts the quality of their education and research contributions. By increasing the stipend, students shall be more focused on their studies and less burdened by financial stress. They can upgrade themselves with AI. They can opt for paid courses. They can pay their education loans and personal loans.

 

Target beneficiaries: 

• GATE Qualified Ex PG students & PG students from Batch 2019-20 onwards.

Indirect beneficiaries: 

• Aforementioned Institutes,
•  Overall Indian Economy,
• India and the World.

 

We urge the concerned authorities, including the Ministry of Education and the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), to undertake immediate action to address this overdue adjustment. Inaction had affected then-PG students in the past. And present non-action affects not just the students of today but also the future of India’s technological advancement and innovation.

 

GOALS

1. To increase the stipend grant to Rs 16,800 Rs for the then-PG student's community with effect from the annual Academic year 2019-20.
2. To increase the stipend grant to Rs 21,500 Rs with effect from the annual academic year 2024-25 for the current student community.
3. Disbursal of the stipend grant to the affected community in the form of Direct Benefit Transfer as an inflation adjustment arrear through the respective institutional framework.   

 

APPEAL

Wholeheartedly support this petition to stress the importance of the stipend grant to authorities to fulfil the earlier news announcement and increase the GATE stipend for postgraduates, ensuring it aligns with current economic realities. Raise your voice by signing and sharing this petition to help bring about the much-needed change for all affected, past & present, and future MTech and M.E students. Most importantly, raise your voice against this ongoing injustice impacting the country. Share this petition to help it achieve its goals and bring in the change for a prosperous India.