The University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, has added another feather in its cap in its golden jubilee year by bagging the highest number of junior research fellowship (JRF) being awarded by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) for meritorious students to pursue master’s degree.
Forty-four students from the UAS, Bangalore, have been awarded JRFs in 2013–14. The ICAR conducts JRF examinations for the 69 agricultural universities in the country to choose meritorious students at the national level to provide financial support to take up master’s courses.
Those who are chosen for the fellowship will not only get a seat for master’s course in the university of their choice, depending on their ranking, but will also be eligible for a monthly scholarship of Rs. 8,640.
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In addition to the highest number of JRFs, students of the UAS, Bangalore, have secured first rank in subjects such as Genetics and Plant Breading, and Agricultural Entomology, and third rank in Soil Sciences and Agricultural Chemistry in the JRF examinations, according to university’s Senior Information Specialist L. Ramakrishna Rao.
A lot of importance is being attached to the JRF in agricultural universities since it is being seen as an indicator of the academic excellence of the universities.
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There has been a steady increase in the number of JRF being bagged by the university in the last four years. The UAS, Bangalore, had stood second in the country in terms of the number of JRF in 2012-13. The UAS, Bangalore, has been declared the best agricultural university in the country by the ICAR by conferring the Sardar Patel Outstanding ICAR Institute Award.