Rajya Sabha launches research scheme worth Rs 57.50 lakh

New Delhi: The House of Elders has launched 'Rajya Sabha Research and Study Scheme' to promote research on and focused study of the functioning of parliamentary institutions, the impact of legislations on socio-economic transformation and efficacy of various parliamentary devices like various committees.

The scheme approved by RS Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu has three components -- one Dr S Radhakrishnan Chair with a grant of Rs 22.50 lakh, four fellowships with a grant of Rs 8.50 lakh each and 10 Rajya Sabha student engagement internships with a stipend of Rs10,000 each per month. This comes to a total expenditure of Rs 57.50 lakh each time they are awarded. The scheme has been formulated after extensive discussions with members of RS, present and former secretaries-general of both Houses of Parliament and leading academics and researchers. All the discussions were chaired by Naidu. To ensure timely submission of research and study reports, grants would be released based on the progress of the project and the awardees would have to submit reports every six months. The duration of Dr Radhakrishnan Chair is two years while that of fellowships is 18 months. Internships would be offered to graduates and post-graduates for two months every year to acquaint them with various aspects of the functioning of RS.