Following the successful graduation of the 10 Fellows of the first cohort of its program, the Government of Karnataka, in partnership with The/Nudge Institute, is calling applications for The/Nudge Indian Administrative Fellowship program for the second cohort. This 18-month program entails senior executives (CXOs/ VPs/ GMs in large-scale organisations) bringing strategic leadership, entrepreneurial spirit and technological orientation from the private sector, to work with senior bureaucrats in the Government of Karnataka, on critical, state-wide initiatives to accelerate the pace of technology adoption and innovation in public systems. The Fellowship has been approved by the state leadership including the Chief Ministers’ Office as a means to deliver disproportionate positive impact by strengthening livelihoods access, governance reforms, and citizen service delivery.
Emphasising the value of public-private-partnership anchored in the program, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said, “The/Nudge Institute is relentlessly working towards the goal of a 'poverty-free India'. I congratulate them on undertaking this challenging mission, in tandem with the government, markets and civil society. There's no better time than now to dream of a more equitable and empowered nation, collaboratively charting out the path toward sustainable development. The Government of Karnataka is already associated with The/Nudge on the Indian Administrative Fellowship program as part of a larger collaborative effort to make this dream a reality.”
“The/Nudge Indian Administrative Fellowship is designed to enable visionary civil servants to draw leadership and technological orientation from the private sector to effect strategic shifts in delivery of the state’s programs. The success of the inaugural cohort in Karnataka has validated the power of collaborative efforts by the stakeholders to strengthen innovation and build capacity,” said Sudha Srinivasan, CEO, The/Nudge Centre for Social Innovation.
The Fellowship was first launched in Karnataka in July 2021 with 10 Fellows placed across ten state departments. The cohort focused on co-steering critical systems reforms, including creation of technology frameworks in Women & Child Development, Go-to-market strategies and brand creation for FPO produce, and Agritech innovations for farmer-beneficiaries among others. The first cohort graduated in December last year, after a valedictory ceremony in the presence of Karnataka Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot.