To align with the legal framework of the Shivagra Kalamanch Foundation (Section 8 Company) and the strict parameters required for ICSSR, UGC, and CSR funding, the Fellowships structure at CACSR is designed as a merit-oriented, non-employment, and time-bound academic framework.
Since all office bearers serve in an honorary capacity, 100% of the institutional surplus and grant allocations are channeled directly into supporting researchers through these structured fellowship tracks.
The official operational guidelines, eligibility criteria, and compliance rules for CACSR Fellowships are detailed below:
1. CACSR Fellowship Tracks
A. The Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) Track
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Target Group: Enrolled Postgraduate (M.A.) students and early-stage M.Phil./PhD scholars who demonstrate a strong inclination toward field documentation and critical theory.
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Tenure: Fixed term of 1 Year (subject to evaluation and strict academic review before any annual renewal).
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Core Mandate: Fellows are required to assist senior faculty in grass-roots field documentation, particularly in archiving the oral histories and tribal arts of regional areas like Banswara, Rajasthan.
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Key Privileges: Direct institutional mentorship, waived registration fees for CACSR workshops/training programs, and full access to the digital knowledge repository and e-library.
B. The Post-Doctoral / Senior Research Fellowship (SRF) Track
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Target Group: Ph.D. holders, university faculty members, and established independent domain researchers.
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Tenure: Fixed term of 1 Year.
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Core Mandate: Senior Fellows must act as primary authors or co-editors for at least one major research paper, institutional monograph, or book chapter to be published under the CACSR publication wing annually.
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Key Privileges: Opportunities to act as 'Expert Reviewers' on the double-blind peer review committees of institutional journals, leadership roles in steering national seminars, and structural networking support for collaborative research projects.
C. The Eminent / Senior Fellowship (Honorary Lifetime Track)
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Target Group: National or international scholars, retired professors, and distinguished art historians/anthropologists who have made monumental contributions to the humanities.
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Tenure: Honorary / Lifetime Nomination.
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Core Mandate: Purely advisory and mentorship role. Eminent Fellows guide the strategic research vision of the Centre and oversee the long-term indexing workflows of CACSR publications.
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Key Privileges: Complete fee exemption and permanent inclusion in the apex Academic Advisory Board and Editorial Board.
2. Source of Funding & Financial Allocation (Vitt)
Fellowships are strictly funded through a transparent, audited financial pipeline under the direct supervision of the parent Foundation's Board:
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The Academic Corpus Fund: All institutional membership fees, independent donations, and unspent operational budget surpluses are routed annually into a permanent Academic Corpus Fund. The interest or specific allocations from this fund are used exclusively to bankroll research fellowships.
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Project-Specific Sponsorships (Grants & CSR): When CACSR secures grants from government bodies (like ICSSR or ICHR) or corporate CSR sponsorships, a dedicated percentage under the approved project heads is allocated as a stipend/fellowship for field investigators and project fellows.
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No Personal Profit Leakage: In accordance with Section 8 regulations, funding allocated for fellowships is classified strictly as project-based academic expenditure and can never be distributed as a financial dividend or bonus to any office bearer.
3. Strict Legal & Ethical Compliance Framework
To remain fully audit-ready and avoid regulatory friction, all fellows must comply with the following institutional mandates:
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Zero Tolerance for Plagiarism: All research outputs produced by fellows must undergo rigid scanning via premium detection software. Any submission exceeding a 10% similarity index (in adherence to UGC regulations) or found guilty of data fabrication will result in the immediate and non-appealable termination of the fellowship.
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The Non-Employment Baseline: Fellowship grants do not fall under any labor laws or standard service contracts. A fellowship is strictly an academic stipend for voluntary research tracking; it does not confer any permanent employment claim, job profile, or right to regular salary within the Shivagra Kalamanch Foundation.
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Human Subjects Ethical Clearance: Fellows conducting field research involving tribal communities, indigenous practitioners, or sensitive demographic groups must secure prior informed written consent from participants and obtain formal clearance from the institutional Ethical Review Committee.
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Intellectual Property Rights (IPR): While the fellow retains primary authorship recognition for their research output, the parent Foundation holds the permanent, non-exclusive publication and archiving rights for the digital repository. Any commercial use of the researched materials without prior written board resolution is strictly prohibited.
Mandatory Statutory Footer: The Centre for Arts, Culture and Social Research (CACSR) operates strictly as an Academic & Research Wing of Shivagra Kalamanch Foundation, a Section 8 Company registered under the Companies Act, 2013, Government of India. All fellowship track allocations, grant utilizations, and operational structures comply seamlessly with statutory audit, ICSSR, UGC, and CSR parameters. Registered Office: Banswara, Rajasthan. Central Email: admin.cacsr@gmail.com.
