India is facing a big problem when it comes to research. It spends very little on research and development (R&D), but that’s not the only issue. A lot of essential scientific tools and support systems are missing, making it hard for researchers to do their jobs.
A recent post on LinkedIn by Rehan Akhtar caught a lot of attention. It tells the story of a 33-year-old PhD student at IIT Delhi who is working on advanced artificial intelligence (AI) research. He only receives ₹35,000 a month, which is not enough to pay rent and support his family. This student has already passed tough exams like JEE and GATE, and he even teaches younger students at the university. Even though he has reviewed over 100 research papers and published many of his own, he struggles to make ends meet.
Akhtar raised an important question: “Why does our system reward people who do average work with money, but only let brilliant minds survive on nothing?” He believes that PhD scholars are not just students; they are the future innovators and teachers. Passion should not come with a price of living in poverty. He ended his post by encouraging all researchers to keep going: “Your work and your lives matter. It’s time for the system to recognize that.”
The post quickly went viral, getting over 5,000 likes and 200 comments. Many users expressed their concern and agreed with the message. Some said this is why India loses its smartest people to jobs abroad. Others pointed out that there needs to be a big change in how we value research and the people doing it.
One user shared that they left research for a corporate job because they couldn’t pay bills. Another person said, “We admire IITs, but we forget the struggles facing researchers.” Many comments urged the government to treat PhD students as professionals, saying “innovation cannot thrive in poverty.”
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