The Chief Minister Fellowship Programme launched by CM Devendra Fadnavis a few years ago will now send 15 of its fellows to work at the BMC at a contract salary of Rs 75,000 per month for 11 months to use their novel ideas in governance, sources revealed. With these becoming a part of the commissioner's core team in various departments, activists and corporators have said that this was part of privatisation. They also raised questions about their salaries.

The CM's fellowship programme was launched three years ago where graduates from any faculty could apply to work with a government department through a selection process.