SBI Foundation, the CSR arm of State Bank Group has invited applications for the 11th edition of the Youth for India Fellowship programme. Interested and eligible candidates can apply at the official website— register.you4.in. The registration will close on May 31. In the 13-month long fellowship programme, educated urban youth— professionals or fresh graduates foster change with rural communities and NGOs at the grassroots level across 17 states in the country. The SBI Youth for India Fellowship works on 12 thematic areas — health, rural livelihood, food security, environmental protection, education, water, technology, women’s empowerment, self-governance, social entrepreneurship, traditional craft and alternate energy. Fellows will have to work on any of the aforementioned areas according to their interests. The applicants must be an Indian citizen, Overseas Citizen of India or citizens of Bhutan and Nepal. The candidate must be willing to adjust and adapt to rural life and work towards sustainable rural development goals. According to Sanjay Prakash, Managing Director and CEO of SBI Foundation, this fellowship aims to fill the gap that exists between the aspirations of urban youth to contribute to the development sector and experience rural reality. “The 13-month long fellowship provides an active framework for the youth to come up with sustainable development solutions for rural development and capacity building in multiple ways,” said Prakash. Over the last 10 years, the programme has seen active participation from hundreds of youth. In terms of capacity building, SBI claims, over 1 lakh people have benefited from the fellows’ intervention carried out in over 200 villages across 20 states in India.
