Karnataka Govt, The Nudge Institute Launch Second Cohort of Indian Administrative Fellowship  

Bengaluru: Following the successful graduation of the 10 Fellows of the first cohort of its programme, The Government of Karnataka, in partnership with The/Nudge Institute, is calling applications for The/Nudge Indian Administrative Fellowship programme. This 18-month programme entails senior executives (CXOs/ VPs/ GMs in large-scale organizations) 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.  

Emphasizing the value of public-private-partnership anchored in the program, the Honorable Chief Minister Shri 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.” 

Speaking about the partnership with the government of Karnataka, Sudha Srinivasan, CEO, The/Nudge Centre for Social Innovation said, “Karnataka has been a pioneer in building robust public-private partnerships to augment capacity and deliver effective governance. 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 and I hope that socially conscious business and technology leaders take this opportunity to move the needle while working with visionary civil servants in the state.” 

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 presence of the Honorable Governor of Karnataka, Shri Thawar Chand Gehlot.  

In the last year, the Fellowship was also launched in partnership with the Government of Punjab, where 10 Fellows are working on critical mandates including strengthening digitization of Agriculture, Augmenting the reach and efficiency of skill-based training for youth, and strengthening Exports & Trade, among others.

Fellows selected for the Karnataka’23 cohort will be required to be based out of respective departmental headquarters in Bengaluru and commit full-time to the role. They will be trained at India’s top policy and academic institutions, including NITI Aayog and State ATI and supported by The/Nudge team.