IIM-B announces national roll-out of Mahatma Gandhi Fellowship

Bengaluru: Following the success of the pilot cohort, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB) has announced the launch of 'Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship' (MGNF) 2021-23 in collaboration with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), Government of India and State Skill Development Missions (SSDMs).

The Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship is a unique opportunity for young, dynamic individuals to combine classroom sessions at IIM with engagement in the district economies to promote skill development and skill planning. Launched last year, the implementation of the programme has been a great success and has garnered huge appreciation from various stakeholders.

IIMB Director Professor Rishikesha T Krishna described MGNF Phase 2 as an opportunity for young dynamic individuals who are looking for opportunities outside the normal. "Based on our Phase 1 experience, we know that many of our past Fellows are having an impact on the District Skill Committee that they have been supporting; some have gone on to create very interesting projects that are creating skills as pre-cursor 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 strengthening pre-existing markets in turmeric, sarees, or garlic in an attempt to scale and integrate with new markets," he explained.

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.

Programme Director and faculty from the Centre for Public Policy at IIMB Professor Arnab Mukherjee said, "In Phase 1, the MGNF had to deal with disruptions due to COVID-19 like every other activity in the country. The MGNF has proved to be institutionally flexible, and, in many districts, has worked with COVID-19 recovery efforts that range from undertaking tracer studies of migrants to undertaking welfare activities for those displaced due to COVID-19. Phase 2 extends the programme nationally to all remaining districts in the country in partnership with various IIMs from across the country. Our Phase 1 experience tells us that the Fellows have been instrumental in supporting the district skill ecosystems in several parts of the country and have been critical to kick starting new initiatives that have strengthened skilling. Expanding this nationally can truly be impactful for the whole country at a time when growth concerns are paramount, and the expansion of formal employment opportunities are limited."