₹12,400
unchanged since February 2015
Increase the GATE-qualified M.Tech stipend to ₹20,000 a month
India pays its GATE-qualified M.Tech scholars the same amount today that it paid them eleven years ago. Fees went up. Rent went up. Mess bills went up. The stipend did not move once.
No fee, no membership, nothing to pay. We are establishing how many people support this before we take it any further.
Why this matters
The number was set in 2015 and simply left there
On 1 February 2015 the stipend was raised from ₹8,000 to ₹12,400. That was the last time anyone touched it. Every cost a student faces has risen since — hostel charges, mess bills, lab fees, rent, transport, a laptop that can actually run simulation software. The stipend has absorbed none of it.
A month on ₹12,400 does not close
At most centrally funded institutions, hostel and mess alone take ₹5,000 to ₹7,000 — IIT Madras' own July–November 2025 circular lists ₹18,850 per semester (about ₹3,770/month) in mandatory hostel charges for M.Tech scholars, before mess, which is billed separately and varies by tender; exact totals vary by institute. Add academic costs, a phone bill, travel home twice a year, and there is nothing left — no savings, no emergency buffer, nothing to send home. Many scholars are quietly subsidised by parents who can least afford it, at an age when they expected to be contributing.
Doctoral stipends moved. Ours did not.
Junior Research Fellowships were revised to ₹37,000 in 2023 and Senior Research Fellowships to ₹42,000. M.Tech scholars — the pool those fellows are drawn from — were left out, with no stated reason. This is not a claim that PhD stipends are too high. It is a question about why one group was revised and another was skipped.
It quietly filters research by family income
A B.Tech graduate entering industry earns several times the stipend from month one — IIT Bombay's most recently reported placement season put the average B.Tech package at ₹26.45 lakh and the median at ₹20 lakh a year, roughly 13–16× the stipend; packages vary widely by institute and branch. If choosing research means choosing debt, then postgraduate technical education gradually becomes something only students with financial backing can afford. That is a loss to the country before it is a loss to any individual.
What we are asking for
- 1Revise the GATE/GPAT postgraduate stipend to ₹20,000 per month — a modest round-up from AICTE's own pending ₹18,600 proposal, and consistent with what ₹12,400 was worth in 2015.
- 2At minimum, implement AICTE's own pending ₹18,600 proposal without further delay.
- 3Introduce automatic indexation — a review every three years against CPI — so no student generation has to fight this again.
- 4Publish a public timeline for when the pending proposal will be decided.
Facts & sources
Every number here is checkable
We link the source for each claim and record the date we last verified it. If you find something wrong, tell us and we will correct it in public.
The stipend was last revised to ₹12,400 per month with effect from 1 February 2015, under MHRD order F.No.17-2/2014-TS.I.
MHRD Order, 18 February 2015 (PDF) · verified 2026-07-19
The current AICTE Post Graduate (GATE/GPAT) Scholarship remains ₹12,400 per month, for up to 24 months.
AICTE PG Scholarship Guidelines, w.e.f. 13 September 2021 (PDF) · verified 2026-07-19
AICTE has proposed a 50% increase, to approximately ₹18,600 per month. As of this date it has not been implemented.
Careers360 (reported) · verified 2026-07-19
Junior and Senior Research Fellowship rates were revised in 2023 to ₹37,000 and ₹42,000 per month respectively.
Ministry of Finance OM No. 33(14)/PFC-II/2018, 21 June 2023 · verified 2026-07-19
Adjusted for cumulative CPI inflation since February 2015 (World Bank/OECD India CPI series), ₹12,400 corresponds to ₹20,320 in 2026 terms — a cumulative rise of 63.9%.
India CPI inflation calculator, in2013dollars.com (World Bank/OECD data) · verified 2026-07-19
This is a central Government of India scheme administered by AICTE. We looked for a state-government top-up specific to this stipend and found none documented — if your state offers one, tell us and we will add it here.
AICTE PG Scholarship Guidelines (scope is central, not state) · verified 2026-07-19
Questions
Is this a petition?+
Not yet, and we are being precise about that. Right now we are establishing how many students actually support this demand, and from which institutions and States. Once that number is real and verifiable, we will make a formal representation to the Ministry of Education and AICTE — and we will publish it here on the day we send it.
Are you asking for money?+
No. Not now and not at any point in this campaign. We are asking for your name. There is no membership fee, no donation, and nothing to pay.
What happens to my information?+
It is used to establish the strength of support for this issue, and to tell you what happens next with it. We publish aggregate numbers only — totals, institution counts, State counts. We never publish individual names, emails or phone numbers. Mobile number is optional and you can leave it blank. See our Privacy page.
Why ₹20,000 and not some other number?+
Because it is roughly what ₹12,400 in 2015 is worth today after inflation. We are not asking for a raise — we are asking for the 2015 figure to be restored in real terms, and then indexed so it does not erode again. AICTE has separately proposed ₹18,600, which we would accept as an interim step.
Is this anti-government?+
No. AICTE — a government body — has already proposed increasing this stipend. We are asking the Government to act on its own recommendation. We intend to keep this factual and specific, because that is what actually gets a file moved.
I am not an M.Tech student. Can I still respond?+
Yes. B.Tech students deciding whether to sit for GATE, PhD scholars, faculty, and alumni are all affected by this and all welcome. Just pick the option that describes you.
What if I do not support this?+
Say so. The form has a No option and we count it. A number built only from people who agreed with us would not be evidence of anything, and anyone can see through it.
Who is behind this?+
Aarunya Swaraj Party. This is Aarunya Issue #001 — the first in a numbered series of public issues we intend to research, document and pursue. Our contact details are on the Contact page and we answer email.
Where this stands
The whole process, in public
We publish each step as it happens — including the steps where nothing happens.
Issue published
2026-07-19Aarunya Issue #001 goes live. We begin recording how many students support the demand.
Gathering responses
Collecting responses from M.Tech scholars, GATE aspirants, faculty and alumni across India.
Publish the numbers
We publish the totals — responses, institutions and States — with our counting methodology stated openly.
Formal representation
With the numbers established, we submit a formal representation to the Ministry of Education and AICTE, and publish it here the day it is sent.
Follow-up and escalation
We publish any response received — and the silence, if there is none. Follow-up at 30 days, RTI on the pending AICTE proposal at 60 days.
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Your response
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View or downloadWho is behind this
Aarunya Issues is an initiative of Aarunya Swaraj Party. We are new, we are small, and we would rather say that plainly than pretend otherwise. What we can promise is that every claim we publish is sourced, every number we report is real, and we will publish the outcome of each issue whether or not it goes our way.
Hello, Since I was a child, I have believed that my purpose is to serve my country. As I grew older, I realized that real change does not happen by only discussing problems—it happens when ordinary people come together, raise their voices, and work toward practical solutions. That is why I started Aarunya Issues. This platform is for every student, every worker, every farmer, every researcher, every entrepreneur, every citizen, and especially for those whose voices often go unheard. If you feel that nobody is listening to your concerns, I want you to know that your voice matters here. Our mission is simple: identify real problems, study them honestly, present practical solutions, and build public support for positive change. We believe every issue deserves facts, transparency, respectful discussion, and accountability—not empty promises. Many people ask me: “Is this a political movement?” My answer is simple: Yes. We believe lasting change requires public participation, good governance, and responsible leadership. Our long-term vision is to build a movement that serves people with honesty, integrity, and transparency, and we intend to participate in future elections to take these ideas from public discussion to public policy. But before asking for votes, we want to earn trust through our work, our ideas, and our commitment to solving real problems. This journey is bigger than one person. It belongs to everyone who believes India can do better. If you believe students deserve better opportunities, if you believe public institutions should work better, if you believe every citizen deserves to be heard, then I invite you to stand with us. We are just getting started. Together, let us raise our voices for those who have no voice, stand beside those who are ignored, and work to build an India that is more transparent, more accountable, more compassionate, and full of opportunity for every citizen. The future is not something we wait for. It is something we build—together. Jai Hind. A student from IIT DELHI Founder, Aarunya Issues.
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