Post Doctoral Fellowship To Women Candidates 2026

The National Food Security Mission (NFSM), started in 2007-08, aims to boost the production of rice, wheat, Read More... and pulses, and later expanded to include coarse cereals, nutri cereals, and commercial crops. Read less

Details

The National Food Security Mission (NFSM) is a government initiative focused on increasing the production and productivity of key food crops across India. It provides farmers with access to improved technologies and modern farming practices to enhance their yields and income.

What Is This Scheme?

NFSM was launched to specifically target crops like rice, wheat, and pulses. Over time, its scope has broadened to include coarse cereals, nutri-cereals, and even commercial crops like sugarcane, jute, and cotton. The mission's primary goal is to bridge the gap between potential and actual crop yields by distributing better seeds, promoting advanced farming techniques, and offering financial incentives to farmers.

Who Can Benefit From This Scheme?

This scheme is designed to help all farmers in India. However, special provisions ensure that at least 33% of the funds are allocated to small and marginal farmers, and at least 30% are earmarked for women farmers. Additionally, 16% of the allocation is reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC) and 8% for Scheduled Tribes (ST) beneficiaries, in line with government plans.

Why This Scheme Is Important

NFSM plays a crucial role in strengthening India's food security by directly supporting farmers to produce more and better quality crops. It encourages the adoption of high-yielding seed varieties and efficient farming methods, leading to increased agricultural output. By providing support for various aspects of farming, from seed distribution to pest management and post-harvest processing, the mission aims to make agriculture more sustainable and profitable for farmers.

Objective

The National Food Security Mission (NFSM), started in 2007-08, aims to boost the production of rice, wheat, and pulses, and later expanded to include coarse cereals, nutri cereals, and commercial crops.

Benefits

The financial assistance available under the scheme is as follows:

The fellowship under the scheme is @ ₹38,800/- per month for fresh candidates.
The fellowship under the scheme is @ ₹46,500/- per month after two years.
An annual contingency of ₹50,000/- will be given to the eligible student for five years.
Escorts/Reader assistance will be paid @ ₹2000/- per month (fixed) in cases of PWD (Person with disability).

House Rent Allowance:

Suitable single-seated hostel accommodation may be provided to the candidates in the institutions. In such cases, the fellow is eligible to draw only hostel fees excluding mess, electricity, water charges, etc. A certificate to this effect is to be furnished through the Registrar/Director/Principal. HRA is not permissible for those candidates who are staying in Hostel accommodation.
In case of non-availability of hostel accommodation, the fellow may be provided with single accommodation by the host institution. In such cases, the rent paid by the fellow on an actual basis may be reimbursed subject to the ceiling of HRA as per Govt. of India norms.
If the fellow makes her own arrangements of accommodation, she may be entitled to draw HRA as per the categorization of cities by the Govt. of India.

Medical:

No separate/fixed medical assistance is provided. However, the Post Doctoral Fellow may avail of the medical facilities available in the University/Institution/ College.

Leave:

Leave for a maximum period of 30 days in a year in addition to public holidays may be taken by the Post Doctoral Fellow with the approval of the Head of Department. However, they are not entitled to any other vacations, such as summer, winter, and pooja vacations. Women candidates are eligible for maternity leave at full rates of the fellowship for 6th pay, 180 days as per the Government of India rules once during the tenure of their award. The fellow in special cases may be allowed by the Commission leave without fellowship and contingency for a period not exceeding three months during the tenure of the award on the recommendation of the Head of department of the institution concerned. The period of leave without fellowship will be counted towards the tenure.

Duration of Fellowship:

• The tenure of the award is five years with no provision for further extension.

Sources and references

Guidelines-XII

Eligibility Criteria

All farmers are eligible to apply for the benefits offered under the National Food Security Mission (NFSM).

General Eligibility for Farmers:

Farmers can avail assistance for various components of the mission, but the support is limited to a maximum of 5 hectares per season per farmer.

Specific Allocations:

Small & Marginal Farmers: At least 33% of the allocated funds must be used for small and marginal farmers.
Women Farmers: At least 30% of the funds are to be allocated for women farmers.
SC/ST Farmers: 16% of the total allocation is earmarked for Scheduled Castes (SC) and 8% for Scheduled Tribes (ST) under Special Component Plan (SCP) and Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) respectively. States can adjust these allocations based on the proportion of SC/ST population in their districts.

District Selection Criteria:

NFSM-Rice & NFSM-Wheat: Districts with an area exceeding 50,000 hectares and a yield below the state average.
North-Eastern States: All districts in north-eastern states (except Assam) with at least 5,000 hectares under rice.
Hill States: Districts in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and Uttarakhand with at least 15,000 hectares under rice or wheat.
NFSM Pulses: All districts across the 29 states are covered.
Coarse Cereals (Maize & Barley): Districts that account for 70% of the state's total coarse cereal area.
NFSM-Nutri-Cereals (Jowar, Bajra, Ragi & Small Millets): All states growing these crops are included.

Demonstration Cluster Sizes:

Cluster Front Line Demonstration (CFLD) by ICAR: Each cluster must be at least 25 hectares.
Front Line Demonstration (FLD) by ICAR: Each cluster must be at least 1 hectare.
Demonstration by State Government: Each cluster must be at least 100 hectares (or 25 hectares for Hilly and North East states).

How To Apply

Farmers interested in availing benefits under the National Food Security Mission (NFSM) should contact their local agriculture department officials or relevant state government agencies. While the input JSON does not specify a direct online application portal, the scheme is implemented through various government initiatives.

Farmers are advised to inquire at their district or block level agriculture offices for specific application procedures, forms, and deadlines related to the components they wish to benefit from. The distribution of incentives like seeds, mini kits, and financial support for demonstrations is usually managed at the local level.

Documents Required

While the specific documents can vary based on the type of assistance and the state you are in, here are some commonly required documents:

Aadhaar card or Aadhaar number
Caste certificate (if applying under SC/ST quotas)
Bank account details (for receiving any financial assistance)

It is highly recommended to check with the local agriculture department or the implementing agency in your state for the exact list of documents needed for the specific benefit you are applying for.

FAQ’s

Who is eligible to receive help under this scheme?

Any farmer who owns agricultural land can apply for benefits under the National Food Security Mission. The scheme aims to support all farmers, with special provisions for small, marginal, women, SC, and ST farmers.

Is there any preference given based on gender or community?

While all farmers are encouraged to participate, the scheme prioritizes certain groups. As per government guidelines, special preference may be given to women farmers, as well as farmers belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) communities.

Do I need a specific educational background to apply?

No, there are no minimum education qualification requirements for farmers to be considered for benefits under the National Food Security Mission. As long as you meet the other eligibility criteria, you can apply.

What is the maximum area a farmer can receive assistance for?

Farmers are eligible to receive assistance under the various components of the mission for an area not exceeding 5 hectares in a single crop season.

Is there a fee to apply for or receive benefits from the scheme?

No, there is no application fee or charge required to avail the benefits under the National Food Security Mission.