IIM Bangalore signs pact with Ministry of Skill Development for MGNF

The Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIM-B), on Wednesday, signed a pact with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship to launch Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship (MGNF) programme. The programme is expected to foster strong skill and development outcomes in district economies. 

Contract signed during special ceremony

The contract was signed by IIM-B Director G Raghuram in presence of R Subrahmanyam, Secretary at the Department of Higher Education at the Ministry of Human Resource Development and Junaid Ahmad, Country Director at the World Bank and officials from the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. 

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The two-year fellowship programme will be delivered by IIM-B's Centre of Public Policy which is an independent public interest-oriented policy think-tank engaged in pioneering research, teaching, training, and capacity-building. Additionally, the MGNF will be launched on a pilot basis in Gujarat, Karnataka, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. It is being reported that eligible fellows will need to have a graduate degree from a recognised university. Further, the candidates must be citizens of India in the age group of 21 to 30 years.

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Raghuram, while talking about the programme, said that the MGNF programme is aimed at identifying and training a group of young, committed and dynamic individuals who will leverage the IIM-B ecosystem in management, entrepreneurship and public policy and work with the district administration in strengthening the process of skilling to create a vibrant local district economy.

 He said, "Its unique design will allow the fellows to take academic learning at IIMB and use it in the field under faculty mentorship with the goal of understanding challenges and barriers that the district ecosystem faces in fostering growth and development.”

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K P Krishnan, Secretary at the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, said the programme will strengthen the skill component at district administration level. "The MGNF is our tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, who was a proponent of decentralised planning, as we celebrate his 150th birth anniversary this year." 

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(With ANI Inputs)