The Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship is a two year program that seeks to combine an accelerated academic training offered by 9 IIMs (IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Jammu, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Lancashire, IIM Nagpur, IIM Ranchi, IIM Udaipur and IIM Visakhapatnam) with intensive field work at district level towards improving the local skill ecosystem, that promotes livelihood and economic output. The project has been conceived by MSDE under SANKALP and has been successfully implemented in collaboration with IIMs. Seeing the launch edition of the Grassroots Gazette, Newsletter of Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship- IIM Jammu Cohort gives me immense pleasure. Since its inception, IIM Jammu has given high importance to skill development and entrepreneurship, as both are essential for economic growth and sustainable livelihoods. While we strive to contribute in this direction as an institute of National Importance, this fellowship paves a way forward to ascertain and connect with the ground realities. The motivation behind this newsletter came from the need to archive the unique experiences and perspectives of the stakeholders at the grassroots level. I am sure that with the passage of time, our fellows will have many interesting and diverse insights garnered from multiple stakeholders of their respective districts. I take this opportunity to congratulate the entire team of MGNF, especially the Program Directors along with the State Resource Associates, MSDE officials, district officials and faculty mentors of IIM Jammu, for their enduring support and successful launch of the fellowship. My best wishes to all the fellows in their journey ahead, and I hope they shall prove to be pivotal in bringing forth transformative developments instilled with Gandhian values of holistic and multidimensional upliftment of communities.

Prof. B. S. Sahay

DIRECTOR, IIM JAMMU