IIMB’s Centre for Public Policy hosts the valedictory for Phase 1 of Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship Programme on March 04

The Programme Directors handed over awards to top academic performers and best performing Fellows within the states from each of the six states

07 March, 2022, Bengaluru: IIM Bangalore’s Centre for Public Policy (CPP) hosted the valedictory for Phase 1 of the Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship (MGNF) Programme on March 04 (Friday), 2022, to award a Certificate of Completion in Public Policy and Management to the 69 Fellows who completed two years of their Fellowship. In 2020-2022, with the support of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), the Government of India, IIMB completed Phase 1 of the MGNF Programme.

Prof. Arnab Mukherji, Programme Director, MGNF and faculty from the Public Policy area at IIM Bangalore, said that MGNF has been a journey that is different in many ways in academia. “It is different because, while all programmes talk about the joint effort of academics and practice, there are very few examples that have taken both academics and practice together. MGNF is a first-of-its-kind that has been strong on the academic as well as on the practice side.”

Prof. Mukherji added that one year into the programme, it became obvious that the participants went beyond expectations. “You were not only doing things that were expected of you, but in each of your journeys, you were also looking at projects that were based in your district, that we could not have any ideas about, ranging from ‘Gaushala’ in Hardoi to looking at various kinds of water leaf-based products through SHGs in Meghalaya. It was a learning experience for us as an institution to identify a whole range of bottlenecks for growth and development, towards skill development and ensuring people find jobs. You are not only the ambassadors for these districts, you also understand the skill economy of these districts and know people who are critical for the same.” 

In her commencement address, Anuradha Vemuri (IFS), Joint Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Govt. of India, said that the experiences of the Fellows are inspiring for all. “The MGNF programme comprises a group of young professionals who have the drive of creativity and passion to mainstream skill development and entrepreneurship into the development agenda. This is also in line with the National Education Policy which seeks to integrate vocational education with the mainstream general education and skill training.”

Acknowledging the significant contribution of IIMB towards the programme she said, “As part of the programme, the Fellows have received academic inputs from IIM Bangalore as well as a fair amount of district exposure in different parts of India. And this is all thanks to the efforts of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, as well as the faculty and administrators of IIM Bangalore, who have chipped in to help them in their state logistics and programmatic interventions. I am sure the Fellows are prepared to move on and take on whatever challenges come next in their lives.”

She went on to say that the states and the districts with the launch of the MGNF have started preparing their District Skill Development Plans, through the District Skill Committee which is headed by the District Collector. “All the Fellows have actively participated in the meetings and worked in policy framework and schemes.”

Prof. Rishikesha T Krishnan, Director, IIM Bangalore, while addressing the MGNF Fellows, said that MGNF fit in completely with the vision, mission and the broad statements of the institute. “Our vision is to be a globally renowned academic institution fostering excellence in management, innovation and entrepreneurship, for business, government and society, I think MGNF is all about many of these things. It is about management, about innovation, about supporting entrepreneurship, and more. We have also been very clear that we do not want to be restricted to management in a very narrow way. We want to think about a broader scope for management which includes the social sector, which includes district development, which includes social entrepreneurship, and so on. We want to have an impact on a much wider range of stakeholders, and not be limited to the corporate sector alone. Through holistic and transformative education, I am certainly hoping that all of you are going to be those change agents”.

Prof. Matthias Pilz, University of Cologne, in his address discussed research projects and German apprenticeship dual training. “We all know we faced two very difficult years due to the corona crisis, but today we are not looking at the bad things only. We are looking at the good things like promoting training and socialization, and you - as MGNF Fellows - are the promoters of vocational education.”

In his vote of thanks, Programme Director Prof. Sankarshan Basu of the Finance & Accounting area at IIM Bangalore, said: “Without the support from the World Bank, Ministry of Skills and Entrepreneurship along with the entire senior administrative staff of MSDE, the Minister-MSDE, the former Secretary, Additional Secretary, and subsequently Secretaries and the entire staff of MSDE, MGNF would not have been successful. MSDE has championed the idea of the Fellowship and taken it forward to the next level. NIMI has always extended its cooperation during the District Immersion and has helped to deploy the Fellows amidst Covid breakdowns. I thank the Programme Management Team and the Fellows without whom the programme would not have reached the height that it has, today.”

Awards:

The Programme Directors handed over awards to top academic performers and best performing Fellows within the states from each of the six states. The details are mentioned below.

ACADEMIC AWARDS

BEST PERFORMER - STATE WISE

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