CM fellowship 2025-26: IIT Bombay to offer certificate course in public policy

The Maharashtra Planning Department has joined hands with IIT Bombay to launch the second edition of the Chief Minister Fellowship Programme for 2025-26.

A Memorandum of Understanding was recently signed between the two institutions, setting the stage for another year of immersive policy training.

Under the agreement, IIT Bombay will conduct a certificate course in public policy and welfare research for 60 fellows selected through a rigorous process involving a written test and interview.

The fellowship is scheduled to begin on July 28 at the IIT Bombay campus.

Participants will undergo four weeks of classroom instruction at the institute, followed by weekend online sessions spread over 12 months.

During the program, fellows will be stationed across 23 district collectorates and zilla parishad offices in Maharashtra, where they will work on real-world governance issues and public service delivery challenges.

The academic component of the fellowship includes guided research projects supervised by IIT Bombay faculty.

The teaching team features Professor Anand B Rao, Professor Bakul Rao, Professor Satish B Agnihotri, Professor Om Damani, Professor Sarthak Gaurav, Professor Aditi Chaubal, Professor Pooja Purang, and Professor Parmeshwar Udmale.

The course will also include guest lectures by senior IAS officers and other faculty members from the institute.

After successfully completing the program and submitting their field research, fellows will receive a postgraduate certificate in public policy.

"The Chief Minister's Fellowship Program is a step toward creating a stronger bridge between academic research and public policy implementation," said an official involved in the initiative.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and IIT Bombay Director Professor Shireesh Kedare were present at the MoU signing.

Also in attendance were Professor Milind Atrey, Deputy Director (Academics, Research, and Translation); Professor Usha Ananthakumar, Dean (Educational Outreach); Professor Vinish Kathuria, Head of the Ashank Desai Centre for Policy Studies; and Professor Parmeshwar Udmale, who serves as the Principal Investigator and Course Coordinator at the Centre for Technology for Rural Areas.