IIM-Vizag commences MGNF, fellows to be deputed to AP, Bihar, Arunachal – Times of India

MGNF is a two-year long fellowship conceived to create an opportunity for the young individuals to contribute to enhancing skill development at the grassroots.

As part of the programme, IIM-Vizag will train 75 fellows from 14 different states, who will be deputed to 75 districts in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Bihar.

They will undergo two weeks of rigorous classroom training as part of their first of the academic modules (AMs). Post that, they will get deputed to their allocated districts across the aforementioned three states for their four-month long district immersion module (DIMs). During the two years of their stint at IIM-V, the fellows will undergo four AMs and six DIMs in total.

The two-year Fellowship seeks to combine classroom sessions with an intensive field immersion at the district level to create credible plans. The programme is expected to identify barriers in raising employment, economic output, and promoting livelihoods in rural areas.

Minister for education, skill development and entrepreneurship, Dharmendra Pradhan, launched the programme across nine IIMs of the country. He highlighted how the Skill India Mission under the guidance of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi is attaining great traction, creating livelihoods, and transforming lives, and contributing to Atmanirbhar Bharat. He exhorted the Fellows of the Program to play a catalytic role in strengthening the skill ecosystem at the grassroots level.

IIM-Vizag director prof M Chandrasekhar said that the Fellows will be awarded Certificate in Public Policy and Management by IIM-V upon successful completion of the programme. Chandrasekhar highlighted how the Fellows could play a gainful and productive role as enablers of skilling and how they could realise their career aspirations with the support of IIM Visakhapatnam.

Coordinator (Administration) prof Neena Pandey, coordinator (Academics & Research) Prof Amit B Chakrabarti and the program chair prof M Shameem Jawed congratulated and welcomed the participants and spoke about how the Fellows could leverage the strengths and reach of IIM Visakhapatnam.

In the course of their training, the Fellows will work under the close supervision of state skill development missions and will spend time and effort in understanding skilling challenges and gaps in the district. The Fellows are expected to enrich skilling programmes by bringing in fresh thinking to local planning, execution, community interaction and outcome management.

MGNF Phase-I (Pilot) programme was launched with IIM Bangalore as the academic partner