CM Fellowship will bring fresh ideas and technology to Maharashtra administration: Fadnavis

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday said that the CM Fellowship Programme will bring fresh perspectives innovative ideas and technology into the state administrationSpeaking at the appreciation and commencement programme for the Chief Minister Fellowship Programme 2026 Fadnavis urged fellows to use their experience to bring positive change in their respective fields and become ambassadors of transformationHe also said that young people would play an important role in building a developed Maharashtra and a developed IndiaFadnavis said that while the government has experienced and capable officers working in the same way for a long period can sometimes reduce creativity and contact with ground realitiesThe fellowship programme aims to bring new ideas into the administration while giving young people an opportunity to understand how the government functions he saidHe stressed that the fellowship was not a oneway learning experience The administration also benefits from the new ideas and perspectives brought by the fellowsldquoWithout understanding the aspirations and working methods of the new generation inclusive governance is not possiblerdquo CM Fadnavis said adding that the administration must become more dynamic and open to changeFellows have contributed to key initiativesThe Chief Minister highlighted the contribution of CM fellows to several government initiatives including the startup policy Maharashtra State Innovation Society districtlevel war rooms government dashboards GIS mapping for Jalyukta Shivar Magel Tyala Shettale egovernance grievance redressal systems chatbots and Maharashtra Unique Infra IDHe also said fellows had played an important role in the governments 100day and 150day programmesTheir work included housing schemes the Mukhyamantri Samruddha Panchayat Raj Abhiyan Lakhpati Didi creating market opportunities for farmers and womens selfhelp groups and initiatives in education and healthcare in tribal areaslsquoChange should begin with yourselfrsquoFadnavis urged fellows not to think ldquoHow much change can I bring alonerdquoInstead they should begin the process of change themselves and use the experience gained during the fellowship to understand peoples aspirations and needs he saidHe encouraged the new batch to set a goal of doing better and more innovative work than previous batchesChief Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said fellows should spend more time at the grassroots level to understand peoples problems and provide meaningful feedback to the administrationHe said fellows should visit villages and interact directly with residents fieldlevel staff anganwadi workers and ASHA workersSuch interactions would help them understand ground realities and suggest practical improvements to Maharashtra government schemes and processes Agrawal saidFocus on practical solutionsAgrawal said fellows could seek guidance from district collectors chief executive officers subdivisional officers project officers and municipal commissionersWhile technology and new digital applications were important he stressed that understanding the actual situation on the ground was equally necessaryHe urged fellows to identify areas where government processes could be simplified and provide useful feedback to senior district officialsMaharashtra govt IIT Bombay sign MoUDuring the programme the Maharashtra government signed a memorandum of understanding with IIT Bombay for a new Post Graduate Certificate Programme in Technology Development and Public Policy starting from the 202627 academic yearChief Secretary Rajesh Agrawal signed the agreement on behalf of the Maharashtra government while Professor Bakul Rao represented IIT BombayCommissioner of Economics and Statistics Dr Jyotsna Padiyar gave the introductory remarks and outlined the Chief Minister Fellowship ProgrammeSenior government officials IIT faculty members fellowship programme coordinators and CM fellows attended the event