The University Grants Commission (UGC) introduced Disaster Management as a subject in the UGC-NET December 2024 exam which will attract more scholars to pursue research in the area, thereby increasing the number of PHDs directly pursuing research in Disaster Management. The decision was made following the recommendations of the UGC expert committee, which assessed the increasing demands for the subject.
Manish Ratnakar Joshi, secretary, UGC, says, The expert committee was formed to look at the growing number of students pursuing Disaster Management in their master's and the number of institutes offering this subject. Moreover, Disaster Management is anemerging field due to the impact of climate change and changing infrastructural demand. UGC considered these factors to introduce it as a separate subject. The committee has also prepared a syllabus for the UGC-NET December exam, available on the UGC's official website. The addition of Disaster Management in the UGC-NET exam will also increase the number of candidates appearing for PHDs, which will further increase the number of Junior Research Fellows (JRFs), says Joshi, adding that the stipend for JRF-qualified students will be Rs 37,000 per month, which is the same as other subjects.
A welcome move
Jacquleen Joseph, dean, Centre for Disaster Management, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), says, Previously, students of geography, psychology, sociology with a master's in disaster management would apply for UGC-NET under the subjects they graduated in. However, they will now have the option to apply specifically under Disaster Management.
Amit Kumar Dhiman, professor and head, Centre of Excellence in Disaster Mitigation & Management, IIT Roorkee, informs that students opt for research in Disaster Management through GATE, CSIR-JRF, DST-INSPIRE, and PMRF. Now that UGC has introduced the subject, it will attract more scholars, he says.
Published on : Education Times
Date : 01.07.2024