Stuck for 2 yrs, CM’S fellowship programme to make comeback
BACK ON TRACK Applications for 1st batch of CMULF programme to open from Monday
NEWDELHI: Touted as one of Arvind Kejriwal’s “dream projects”, the Delhi government is all set to re-launch its “Chief Minister’s Urban Leadership Fellows” (CMULF) programme next week, officials said. The development work comes two years after the programme was scrapped midway after the then lieutenant-governor raised objections.
Applications for the first batch of the CMULF programme will be accepted from Monday till the first week of November, an official familiar with the matter said. Government officials said 30 people would be selected for the fellowship programme under which they would get to work directly under the supervision of secretary or directorlevel officers or advisors of the Delhi government.
“The programme will begin from first week of January and will be for a period of two years. The maximum eligibility age for the programme will be 35 years and candidates having a postgraduate degree or PHD will be preferred. Working professionals from fields such as law, medicine, architecture, finance, education and so on will also be considered,” said an official working on the project. He added that Delhi would be the first non-bjp ruled state/ut to have a CM’S fellowship programme.
Out of the 30 selected candidates, 20 will be taken as ‘fellows’ with a monthly remuneration of ₹1.25 lakh a month and 10 as ‘associate fellows’ with a monthly pay of ₹75,000.
This, however, is the second time that the government is launching the programme. In June 2016, applications to the programme were first opened by the Delhi government. Despite getting over 5,000 applications then, the government had to cancel the two-year programme midway as the then L-G Najeeb Jung stalled the project by asking the chief secretary to check if the scheme was under the subject of ‘services’, which currently comes under the jurisdiction of the L-G.
Back then, the government, in just a matter of 10 days, had managed to get at least 50 applications from top universities such as Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard Kennedy School of Government and MIT, records with the administrative reforms department state. Over 250 applications were from Indian Institutes of Technology in Delhi, Bombay and Kanpur and Indian Institutes of Management in Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Calcutta. Besides, over 100 working professionals working with international organisations such as United Nations, World Bank and leading management consulting firms like Mckinsey, BCG, Bain, KPMG and PWC had also applied.
“Fresh movement of the file began only after the Supreme Court’s order of July 4 where the elected government was given supremacy over the L-G on all matters others than law and order, police and land. The L-G this time did not object to the file. Under the programme, shortlisted candidates will be called for a written exam followed by an interview,” another official said.
The CMULF will provide an opportunity to young leaders to work within the state government towards addressing the urban challenges faced by the national Capital. “The fellows will help the government in drafting policies for various departments and monitoring their implementation,” an advisor to CM Arvind Kejriwal said.