Speed Post News Network
New Delhi : Following the success of the pilot project, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has announced the launch of ‘Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship’ (MGNF) 2021-23 in collaboration with IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM-Jammu, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Lucknow, IIM Nagpur, IIM Ranchi, IIM Udaipur, and IIM Visakhapatnam.
The fellowship is a two-year blended programme consisting of classroom sessions at IIMs and a unique opportunity to promote skill planning and development in district economies. The last date to apply is March 27, 2021. Launched last year, the implementation of the programme has been a great success and has garnered appreciation from various stakeholders.
Past Fellows have had a substantial impact on their respective District Skill Committees. Some have created interesting projects that use skills as a precursor for employment by integrating ideas from business management, public policy, and development economics learned at IIMB and understanding their district’s potential. Some of the initiatives are with SHGs; others are market-based interventions to strengthen local economies.
MGNF is designed to decentralise the process of development – instead of a top-down approach of development, this has the potential to drive the development of the country in a bottom-up approach. It encompasses the benefits of academic inputs from IIMs during the Academic Modules (AMs) as well as the continuous faculty mentorship and the field experience garnered by the Fellows as a part of the District Immersions (DIs), according to a PIB release.
The Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship, 2021-23, has been rolled out nationally in more than 660 districts across India.The programme is being hosted by nine IIMs (IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Jammu, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Lucknow, IIM Nagpur, IIM Ranchi, IIM Udaipur, and IIM Visakhapatnam) separately, with IIM Bangalore managing the common admission process.