Pune: The Maharashtra Village Social Transformation Foundation (MVSTF) has expanded its reach to seven more districts: Pune, Buldhana, Washim, Akola, Hingoli, Latur and Jalna.
“As many as 120 Chief Minister Rural Development Fellows (CMRDF) have been appointed, whose primary job will be to collect data and present the village development plan,” Ramnath Subramaniam, CEO, MVSTF, said on Monday.
Three villages of Bori Budruk, Vadgaon-Kandali and Kalwadi in Pune district’s Junnar taluk have been selected in the new phase. “The CMRDFs or ‘gram parivartaks’ will work on eight key parameters namely agricultural productivity, digital connectivity, housing, water security, health, education, skill development and environment,” Mr. Subramaniam said.
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To train the fellows, the MVSTF conducted a 10-day programme at Pune’s YASHADA centre. The initiative now has a total of 250 fellows working in 18 districts and 584 villages in the State, he said.
The project plans to transform 1,000 backwater villages by enhancing development indicators of drinking water, infant mortality, education index, and agri-income.
The project has a number of corporate partners. “The corporate partners ensure that the gram panchayats are not merely a sham, where attendance sheets are passed,” he said.
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Mr. Subramaniam said till now, the corporate fund commitment is of ₹125 crore over a period of three years till the end of 2019. “The appointment of the fellows are done through an online exam, followed by an interview. The fellows have to spend a considerable amount of time in the villages to gauge the short and long-term needs of the residents,” he said.