Gandhinagar, Oct 29 — The Gujarat government has increased the number of fellows under its 'Sardar Patel Good Governance CM Fellowship Programme' from 41 to 47 and expanded the number of projects from 20 to 45, with a focus on improving the implementation of government schemes across sectors including healthcare, agriculture, nutrition and urban development.
The decision was taken by the General Administration Department (GAD), which functions under Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel's leadership, to widen opportunities for young professionals to contribute to policy research, administrative coordination and the evaluation of government programmes.
Under a new resolution issued by the department, the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A) will serve as the programme's knowledge partner. A senior faculty member appointed by the institute will also have a specified role in the initiative.
The fellowship offers young people with research, analytical and other relevant skills an opportunity to work with the state administration for one to two years, gaining practical experience of government functioning while helping departments identify gaps in the delivery of public services.
The expanded programme will cover education, healthcare, nutrition, agriculture, social development, urban administration, the environment and public administration.
Fellows will study obstacles in the implementation of government schemes, examine the utilisation of available resources and recommend measures to improve the functioning of departments.
Projects concerning Anganwadi services, nutrition, anaemia reduction and early childhood education have been included, along with initiatives involving interconnected libraries.
The programme will also examine the expansion of centralised kitchen facilities across Gujarat to strengthen the implementation of the 'PM POSHAN' Mid-Day Meal scheme and the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS).
In healthcare, fellows will study challenges relating to claims under the PMJAY-MA scheme at government hospitals and the utilisation of public healthcare services.
The findings are intended to help simplify procedures, improve operational efficiency and identify gaps in service delivery.
Agriculture-related projects will examine difficulties in implementing natural farming practices and ensuring that farmers receive the benefits of government schemes.
The studies are expected to provide departments with practical recommendations to address these challenges. The programme will also support evidence-based policy research and data analysis linked to the state's long-term development vision.
Projects will examine the monitoring of priority development initiatives, the functioning of district-level committees, follow-up on decisions and coordination between government departments.
Artificial intelligence-based tools may be used, where required, to classify information, prepare summaries and identify key issues. However, any information generated through AI must be verified against original documents and data.
Urban development projects will focus on improving civic services in the Rajkot Municipal Corporation, analysing complaints to prevent their recurrence and using data to identify problems proactively.
In Bhavnagar, projects will examine solid and wet waste recycling and the reuse of resources.
The expansion is intended to allow more young professionals to contribute to governance and help departments improve scheme implementation, administrative coordination and public service delivery.