JAIPUR: Rajasthan may have scored low in learning outcomes (schools) among states. But the state has recorded a whopping 70% growth, topping all other states, in enrolling research scholars in the country.The desert state has seen enrolment for PhDs jump from 4,134 to 7,010 between 2015-16 and 2016-17, according to All India Survey On Higher Education 2016-17, released by Union human resources minister Prakash Javadekar in New Delhi on Friday.Surprisingly, during the same period, the state has reported a 2% dip in enrolments for post-graduate programmes. The rise in research scholars can be attributed to the fact that Rajasthan has the highest number of universities (all types), 78, in the same survey.Both state and private universities in Rajasthan had come under scanner, from issues related to granting admission to awarding PhDs. In fact, the number of scholars could have gone higher had 13 universities from Rajasthan participated in the survey.Rajiv Gupta, former head of the sociology department, Rajasthan University , refused to take the survey seriously and asked authorities to physically verify the attendance of these scholars, upload their names, pictures and research work on the university website.“Most of these scholars will turn out to be those teaching in colleges. Their sole intention is to qualify for promotions,” said Gupta.Moreover, these private universities charge huge amount as fees from research scholars. The fee structure varies from Rs 1 lakh and goes up to Rs 2.5 lakh per annum. Experts also said there were instances of back-dated admissions as students enrolled for PhD in Rajasthan would be working in faraway places.Ironically, other academically progressive states showed negative or average growth in PhD scholars. West Bengal , Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Bihar , Odisha, Karnataka and Uttrakhand, to name a few, have all seen a fall in number of PhD scholars during the same period.States which registered moderate growth in the registrations includes Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland , Puducherry, Sikkim , Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.