New Delhi – The Hon’ble Union Minister for Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, delivered a significant announcement during his virtual address to the Mahatma Gandhi National Fellows at nine prestigious Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) during their convocation celebrations. He revealed that the 581 fellows would be granted credits based on their two years of intensive learning, including district immersion, at IIMs, with their certificates in Public Policy and Management officially recorded in the Academic Bank of Credit. This initiative represents a major step forward in the implementation of the National Credit Framework envisioned under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The convocation ceremony, a collaborative initiative of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and nine leading IIMs, marked a remarkable milestone in the lives of the fellows who successfully completed this rigorous and transformative program.
Shri Pradhan expressed his heartfelt appreciation to the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and the nine IIMs for organizing the convocation on ‘National Unity Day.’ He extended his congratulations to all the fellows in Public Policy and Management, highlighting that the Mahatma Gandhi National Fellows are the modern-day Vishwakarmas, holding the potential to shape the 21st century. He said, “I have high expectations and unwavering belief that my young friends will embrace skills as their mission to contribute to the realization of a developed India.”
“To achieve the ambitious goal of a developed India by 2047, it is imperative that we expand, skill, re-skill, and up-skill our workforce. Our aim is to position India as a global hub for skilled manpower. I firmly believe that the young talents emerging from the MGNF program will become ambassadors of the Skill India Digital Portal,” Shri Pradhan added.
This marks the first-ever instance where nine IIMs (including Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Lucknow, Jammu, Kozhikode, Nagpur, Ranchi, Udaipur, and Visakhapatnam) have collaborated to deliver a program for the Government of India, ensuring common learning and participation across State/UTs governments with inputs from the Central government.
The unique design of the program provided fellows with comprehensive academic insights across thematic areas such as Economics, Management, Public Policy, Research, Finance, and learnings from these were applied to strategize and implement innovative programs at the district level during their district immersion. The Fellows received a monthly stipend from the Government of India in both the first and the second years. The Program stands as a testament to the power of education and skill development working together in synergy, aligning with the vision of the National Education Policy 2020 to integrate vocational education with mainstream education.
The physical convocation ceremonies for the fellows were conducted at their respective locations, with the virtual address attended by Chairperson, NCVET, Dr. Nirmaljeet Singh Kalsi, Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Shri K Sanjay Murthy, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Shri Atul Kumar Tiwari, Senior Economic Advisor, Shri Nilambuj Sharan, Chairman, AICTE, Prof. T G Sitharam, Directors, and Program Directors of respective IIMs, along with the fellows.
