Jawaharlal Nehru was one of those rare men in human history who can be said to have advanced the cause of civilization through the medium of their own lives. Any scheme to honour his memory must take into account his multifaceted personality and his many splendoured achievements. His eternal passion for the enlargement of the frontiers of knowledge and enrichment of the human mind are well-known. To commemorate his name, the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund in 1968 instituted Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowships dedicated to the encouragement,support and patronage of higher learning and of free intellectual inquiry. These seek to provide an opportunity to exceptionally talented persons to devote themselves with freedom to their creative work for a period of two years.

ELIGIBLITY

The Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund offers one Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship every year. It is open to scholars in every discipline - the sciences as well as the humanities - and also to categories of people not normally covered by existing schemes such as writers, journalists, artists and civil servants - for undertaking not only projects of highly sophisticated and technical subjects but also for study in depth of current problems relevant to the India of today. The only criterion is that they should possess proven capacity for outstanding work and a real desire to pursue a creative project, exploring new possibilities in their chosen field. As Jawaharlal Nehru said,"Man today, as never before in human history, has to live with change as a permanent partner in his activities and his Institutions".This applies even to the most brilliant scholars, who frequently need periods which they can devote entirely to the enrichment of their intellectual capital, particularly in view of the speed with which every discipline is developing in this nuclear age.The Fellowship is open to Indian citizens and Fellows have complete freedom to work at places of his/her choice within India.

SELECTION

The Jawaharlal Nehru Fellows are chosen by a Selection Committee consisting of distinguished persons in different fields of human endeavour. The Selection Committee strives to maintain the highest standards of excellence and the widest possible spectrum of creative talent while making its final selection.

STIPEND

Each Fellowship is tenable for two years and carries a monthly stipend of Rs.1,00,000/-, (one lakh)  which is exempt from Income Tax u/s 10(17A) of the Income Tax Act, 1961. In addition, actual expenses on secretarial assistance,traveling and other contingencies are met by the Fund subject to a ceiling of Rs.75,000/- per annum.