Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship: Phase II | 27 Oct 2021

Why in News

Recently, the government has launched the phase-II of Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship under SANKALP (Skill Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion) programme.

SANKALP

  • SANKALP, a Centrally sponsored scheme, is a World Bank loan assisted program, launched by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in January 2018.
  • SANKALP engages with District Skill Committees (DSCs) to effectively reduce the mismatch between the supply and demand of skilled manpower in the country, thereby creating decent opportunities for the youth to work and earn.

Key Points

  • About:
    • It is a two-year long fellowship programme conceived to create opportunities for young, dynamic individuals to contribute to enhancing skill development at the grassroots.
      • MGNF Phase-I (Pilot): Launched in 2019 with IIM Bangalore as Academic Partner and 69 are Fellows currently deployed in 69 districts across 6 States.
      • MGNF Phase-II (National Roll Out): Being launched in October 2021 with 661 MGNFs who will be deployed across all districts of the country. 8 more IIMs have been boarded taking the total to 9 IIMs.
    • It seeks to combine classroom sessions by academic partner IIMs with an intensive field immersion at the district level to create credible plans and identify barriers in raising employment, economic output, and promote livelihoods in rural areas.
    • The sharp focus on developing skills for local needs gives impetus to the "vocal for local", and also building an industry-relevant skill base will help the cause of "Atmanirbhar Bharat”.
  • Eligibility:
    • Fellows have to be in the 21-30 years age-group, have a graduation degree from a recognized university and be citizens of India.
    • Proficiency in official language of the state of fieldwork will be mandatory.

Other Schemes for Skill Development

Source: PIB