350 scholars, research centers issued open letters to the central gov amid objections to recent policy changes in NOS

More than 20 international academic associations, research centers, diasporic organizations, and 350 scholars have issued an open letter outlining numerous objections to the recent policy changes to the guidelines for the National Overseas Scholarship (NOS).

The letter addressed to the Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Virendra Kumar, calls for the immediate withdrawal of the new policy clause that excludes students from marginalized communities intending to pursue further education and research abroad from working on "[t]opics/courses concerning Indian [c]ulture/heritage/[h]istory/[s]ocial studies on India."

The letter describes the guideline as a regressive step for academic exchange, an unwarranted restriction of the academic freedom of scholars studying abroad on government bursaries, as well as an unjustifiable attempt to restrict international scholarship in India.

The letter argues that the amendments attest to a lack of understanding of how interdisciplinary research is conducted today, where scholarship cannot be restricted by national boundaries. It stresses that for universities around the world with thriving South Asian departments and research centers, it is vital that scholars and researchers from marginalized backgrounds in India contribute to and participate in these international networks and research centers without conditions attached.

The letter points out that female applicants, already disproportionately under-represented in scientific and technological disciplines, will be most severely affected by the policy changes by being denied eligibility for research in the Social Sciences and Humanities.

Among the signatories are the American Anthropological Association and the American Sociological Association, the Centre for South Asian Studies at the University of Edinburgh, UK, the Centre for Modern Indian Studies at the University of Göttingen, Germany, academic unions in Scotland and Ireland and, nearly 20 civil society diasporic and national organizations and associations. Prominent individual signatories include international scholars of India such as David Hardiman, Barbara Harriss-White, and Jens Lerche and Indian academics in universities around the world.

The letter is jointly issued by International Solidarity for Academic Freedom in India (InSAF India), National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights – Dalit Arthik Adhikar Andolan (NCDHR-DAAA), and the DBAV Womxn Collective.

The full open letter and endorsing organizations and institutions are available on the InSAF India website here: https://www.academicfreedomindia.com/open-letter-against-2022-2023-nos-restrictions