From an Aspirational District to Academic Excellence: How NFSC Support Empowered Dr. Abinash Mandal

The Press Information Bureau release details the educational journey of Dr. Abinash Mandal, a scholar from an aspirational district in Udalguri, Assam, who overcame socio-economic and geographical barriers to complete his Ph.D. from Pondicherry University. His doctoral research in commerce and forensic accounting was supported by the National Fellowship for Scheduled Caste Students (NFSC) Scheme from 2020 to 2024. The scheme provided a monthly fellowship of Rs 37,000 as a Junior Research Fellow (JRF), later enhanced to Rs 42,000 as a Senior Research Fellow (SRF). This financial assistance helped him focus on full-time research, access study materials, and publish papers. Dr. Mandal currently serves as Guest Faculty at Pondicherry University.