CRISP Fellowship 2025

Apply by 20th December 2024

Centre for Research in Schemes and Policies (CRISP) is an organisation formed by 10 senior civil servants, who have served at the level of Secretary to Government of India, for working with the State and Central Governments for designing/redesigning schemes and policies in the Social Sector. It desires to make large-scale impact by conducting ‘concurrent evaluation’ of schemes, setting up monitoring systems, and drafting policies covering rural, urban development, poverty alleviation, education, health and institution building.

The objective of CRISP is to bring systematic reforms, thus shifting focus from inputoriented implementation to outcome-focused roll-out.

CRISP is not an NGO (implementing programmes at the grassroots level) nor is it a Thinktank (which provides policy inputs). It is a systemic social organisation that believes in strengthening State machinery, and through that, achieve better delivery of social sector services with large-scale welfare gains.

CRISP has a highly accomplished and professional team with expertise in the social sector, data analytics and report writing to accomplish its objectives.

2. CRISP Fellowship Programme

The CRISP Fellowship Programme is a one-of-its-kind experiential learning model in India that involves strategic collaboration between CRISP and State/Central governments, helping young professionals work at high echelons of governance in the social sector. The Fellowship provides a platform for young talent to drive impactful large-scale projects while working closely with the public administration.

The Fellowship will enable CRISP Fellows to work on domains like policy implementation, data analysis, high-quality report writing and strengthening existing government initiatives. CRISP Fellows will work on streamlining the implementation of the government’s programmes pertaining to the CRISP projects.

CRISP Fellows will act as catalysts in achieving the desired outcomes while ensuring transparency and accountability in the process for reaching the last mile. They will drive convergence between various government stakeholders and departments within the administration to re-engineer processes and de-bottleneck implementathas ion challenges.

CRISP Fellows are expected to bring prior-domain knowledge to the projects which are under implementation, to which they would be attached for two-years. They would be required to travel extensively, and link with the State/Central Governments at the higher management level to bring systemic changes and thereby create large-scale impact.

So far, two cohorts have joined the Fellowship programme and have made a mark in the areas of their work.

3. Key Learnings as a Fellow

Opportunity to hone technical/ non-technical skills and exposure to the inner workings of the Government.
Experience in the administration of social welfare and economic development projects.
Stakeholder management through the implementation of government policies and schemes.
Access to and guidance from experienced and senior decision-makers.
Connection to a broad network of development institutions and actors.

4. Fellowship structure

The Fellowship will be a two-year full-time paid programme.
The Fellows/CRISP Fellows will be:
○ Recruited through a rigorous selection process
○ Provided on-ground experience for developing key technical and nontechnical competencies
○ Provided regular feedback on performance
○ Exposed to a wide range of governance issues beyond their own specific projects
CRISP Fellows will work under the overall supervision of a Project/State Team Leader.
CRISP Fellows will work on projects which will be based out of State
Capitals/major cities in the country. The likely positioning of the Fellows has been given in this brochure.
Each CRISP Fellow will receive a remuneration of Rs. 75,000/- per month, subject to taxes. In addition, travel expenses for field visits will be paid as per the HR Policy of CRISP.

5. Role expected
1. Lead a project in a State duly interacting with the concerned State Government for its effective implementation. The CRISP Fellows will be part of the CRISP team and posted in a State for implementing the MoU between the State Govt and CRISP. The team would be led by a Team Lead to who will guide and control the CRISP Fellows.

2. Apart from this, there will be a weekly mentoring of the CRISP Fellows by the Members of CRISP who are all very senior civil servants with more than 3 decades of experience at the highest levels of Governmental decisionmaking.

3. CRISP Fellows will be allocated to a project arising out of the MoU between the State Govt and the CRISP – along with clear functional deliverables, by the State Lead. The progress on these deliverables will be monitored closely by the Members of CRISP.

4. In fulfilment of the work allocated, the Fellows are expected to:
○ Travel extensively in the given area, study the implementation and submit reports along with suggestions for improvement to the State
Lead.

○ Work closely with the State Governments offices to aid and support the implementation of policy interventions, industry and government engagements, and capacity-building initiatives that CRISP is working on.

○ Assist in the framing of policies, structures, and processes that help bring efficiency in overcoming implementation challenges.

○ Support the leadership team with research and insight, recommending an appropriate approach for diverse policy and program questions.

○ Aid the development and implementation of capacity building programs by primarily engaging with institutions, NGO’s and quasi governmental bodies.

○ Engage in primary and secondary research, speak with experts and synthesise data from multiple data points.

○ Develop and help implement programs and projects across the state.

○ Take on diverse operational tasks to ensure organisational success.

5. Assist the leadership team with creating and maintaining deep engagement with top stakeholders, and explore newer areas for cooperation with the State Govt.

6. Eligibility criteria

A bachelor’s degree or higher from a renowned educational institution in policyrelevant subjects including Public Policy, or other social sector subjects.
Good educational record, and evidence of having participated in activities in socially relevant programmes at the college level.
Upto 2 years of work experience after graduation in the relevant field.
Proficiency in English and local language.

7. Preferred Competencies

Experience in the field of the chosen project.
Proficiency in MS Office (MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) and ability to do data analytics
Ability to write professional reports after due analysis of data
Passion for social change
Prior exposure to policy and development sector, policy analysis/research and formulation desired.
Program management skills including monitoring and evaluation skills, data analysis and supervisory experience.
Ability to establish and maintain strong working relationships with various stakeholders.
High-calibre interpersonal communication (documentation and presentation sKills), advocacy and negotiation skills and the ability to work collaboratively with teams.
Ability to adapt to diverse educational and cultural contexts and maintain a high standard of personal conduct.
Previous experience in and knowledge of data analysis is strongly preferred.

8. Number of Positions

There are expected to be (13) Fellowship positions to be deployed in 5 CRISP projects.
The details of each project are enclosed in this Brochure.
The candidates are expected to choose ONE project. This cannot be changed later during the process of recruitment.
Each candidate is also expected to choose a State of which they have familiarity, and knowledge of the local language.

2 nd round: Essay (for the top 300) Date: 28th December

All the shortlisted applicants will be invited to an online, remote-proctored Essay test to be conducted on 28th Dec 2024 to test the candidate’s depth of knowledge, clarity of expression, evidence-based approach and cogency of arguments. The topic for the essay will be given 10 minutes before the start time. The total time given would be one hour.

3 rd Round: Online Group Discussion: (for the top 150) Date: 3 rd/4th Jan 2025
The candidates will be called for an online Group Discussion in groups of 10 to assess their precision of expression, clarity of thought, logical thinking, coherent arguments, and teamwork abilities.

4 th Round: Interview (for the top 30 candidates) Date: 10th and 11th Jan 2025

The interview will be conducted online by the Founding Members of CRISP. The assessment would be based on knowledge about the project applied, relevant experience, commitment levels, and analytical ability. Final selection will be notified on 13th Jan based on the total score obtained in all 4 rounds.

1. National Initiative for Skill Integrated Higher Education (NISHE): A brief The Centre for Research in Schemes and Policies (CRISP) launched the National Initiative for Skill-Integrated Higher Education (NISHE) to improve the employability of about 1 lakh+ students pursuing B.A., B.Sc., B.Com., BBA in about 1500+ General Degree Colleges across the nation in the next 03 years through the
implementation of Apprenticeship Embedded Degree Programs (AEDPs). NISHE works on a no-cost model to the state governments in professionalizing the general education by adhering to the UGC guidelines. The main features of the NISHE model
are:

Long-term skilling program extending to at least three years and thereby acquiring extensive knowledge of the sector.
Deep-integration of select market-oriented skills with the general degree programs (normally three years), and thereby professionalizing them.
Collaborate with the Sector Skill Councils (SSCs), who design the curriculum in association with the industry.
Integration of a one-year apprenticeship in the degree program, so that the students emerge with skill sets that can place them in the junior managerial positions.
Work with the State Governments to take leadership of this effort and improve students’ employability.

Apprenticeship Embedded Degree Programs (AEDPs) are three-year programs combining academic coursework with practical work experience. Students spend two years on theoretical learning followed by a final-year stipendiary apprenticeship, gaining industry-relevant skills. Sector Skill Councils (SSCs), under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MoSDE), provide curriculum design,
teacher training, apprenticeships, assessments, and placement assistance, ensuring alignment with industry needs.

However, vocational courses are short-term programs focused on developing practical skills for specific technical or trade-based roles, such as carpentry, plumbing, or programming. Spanning a few months to two years, they prioritize hands-on training over academic learning, offering certifications or diplomas rather than traditional degrees. Designed for entry-level employment, vocational courses
provide targeted, job-ready skills but may limit opportunities for higher education or broader career growth

In AY 2023-24, CRISP initiated AEDPs in Telangana and Uttar Pradesh. 1210 students were admitted in 31 colleges across Retail, Logistics, Healthcare, Media & Entertainment and Tourism & Hospitality sectors. Recognizing AEDPs’ potential and success from Telangana & Uttar Pradesh, CRISP expanded the NISHE project to 04 more states. In AY 2024-25, CRISP is implementing NISHE project in 06 states i.e., Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh. 4545 students were admitted to AEDPs across Retail, Logistics, Tourism, Healthcare, Fashion Design, Life Sciences, BFSI, Electronics and Media & Entertainment sectors in 143 colleges.

Currently, in total, 5755 students are pursuing AEDPs across 174 colleges spanning across 09 sectors in 06 states. CRISP aims to impact 1 lakh students in 1500 general degree colleges across the nation in the upcoming three years.

CRISP is working on a mission-mode to transform the higher education ecosystem by embedding skills and practical work exposure through apprenticeship into the core of general education, thereby producing graduates who are both knowledgeable and employable. In AY 2025-26, CRISP plans to expand AEDPs across various sectors and 11 states. In collaboration with Sector Skill Councils (SSCs), CRISP analysed market demands and developed a three- year plan to implement AEDPs in 11 states, addressing the skill gap and improving employability
through hands-on experience.

2. Inclusive Livelihoods Program: A brief
The Centre for Research in Schemes and Policies (CRISP) has partnered with BRAC International to provide concurrent evaluation and strategic support for the Inclusive Livelihoods Programmes in Telangana, Karnataka, and Maharashtra for a period of three years. This initiative aims to strengthen the resilience of the poorest communities by integrating BRAC’s globally recognised Graduation Approach with localised strategies to address poverty and social inclusion.

Context and Need:
Despite progress under India’s National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM), extreme poverty persists. Approximately 19.5 crore Indians live in extreme poverty, with many marginalised households excluded from the SHG networks or unable to fully leverage their benefits. The Graduation Approach, successfully implemented across 43 countries, offers a proven pathway to uplift ultra-poor households through a structured sequence of interventions, including identification and inclusion of the poorest households in the fold of programs, ensuring access to entitlements, livelihood planning, training, asset transfer, and one on one coaching leading to social as well as economic empowerment.

BRAC and NRLM’s collaboration seeks to scale the Graduation Approach nationally, with CRISP pivotal in providing evaluation and strategic insights for successful implementation in three states. This partnership aligns with SDGs focused on poverty reduction, gender equity, and institutional strengthening.

Objectives of Engagement are as follows:

1. To conduct a concurrent evaluation of the Inclusive Livelihoods programmes in Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Telangana.

a) To provide assessment of performance regarding processes, and intermediary outputs, and to offer recommendations for remedial actions.

b) To examine the relevance of the project’s objectives, the efficiency and effectiveness of activities, and the extent to which the project has achieved its plan objectives by adopting a learning approach.

c) To assess if the project is likely to sustain the envisaged livelihoods pathway amongst the target population.

2. To serve as a technical agency for overall strategy development in these respective states for comprehensive design and implementation of state-specific Inclusive Livelihoods Programmes.

3. To facilitate the State in achieving convergence across Government Departments in effectively implementing the program.

Scope of Engagement:
The project will span three years, divided into three phases: Over three years, based on the key milestones of the project including planning,
identification of the households, convergence of schemes, asset transfer and livelihood planning, coaching, and graduation, CRISP will conduct ~ 7 studies in each of the states.

Expected Outcomes:
CRISP’s contributions are expected to achieve the following:

Provide evidence-based insights for scaling the Graduation Approach across Telangana, Karnataka, and Maharashtra.
Facilitate convergence among government departments to enhance program effectiveness.
Enable the development of a comprehensive MIS system for real-time program monitoring and decision-making associated with the project.
Establish mechanisms and systems within the existing institutional framework of SRLMs for inclusion of the poorest households.
Document the most effective program’s implementation design and best practices to generate desired outcomes at a scale. Develop in-depth case studies specific to certain target beneficiary groups.

Team Expertise:
CRISP’s team includes former senior civil servants and development professionals with extensive experience in poverty alleviation, grassroots governance, and program evaluation. Their collective expertise positions CRISP to provide impactful support to SRLMs and state governments.

Conclusion:
CRISP’s partnership with BRAC International represents a significant step toward addressing extreme poverty through innovative, evidence-based strategies. By combining the Graduation Approach with localized interventions, this initiative will empower marginalised communities, strengthen institutional frameworks, and contribute to sustainable development outcomes.

4. Centre for Higher Education Quality Upgradation and Excellence (CHEQUE):

A brief Higher Education determines the pace of growth of any society. Indian Higher Education is at a crossroads plagued by poor Gross Enrolment Ratio, unsatisfactory academic outcomes, outdated curriculum, inadequate research and the resultant unemployable graduates coming out of the system. Unless these are addressed on an emergency basis, the demographic dividend, available in a narrow window of 30
years, will fail to manifest, and the result will be devastating for the growth of the economy in the long run.

CRISP has been running projects to improve the quality of higher education in UP, Telangana, and MP states. It also runs the National Initiative for Skill Integrated Higher Education (NISHE) project in 7 States. All these projects have greatly impacted the higher education scenario in these States. However, the outcomes could have been better with more involvement of the State Government and more cohesive action between all the stakeholders, especially the universities which affiliate with the colleges. These lessons guided the formulation of this project named: Centre for Higher Education Quality Upgradation and Excellence (CHEQUE).

The key to upgrading the quality of academic instruction is with the Affiliating Universities, which are authorised to keep an oversight of the academic performance of the affiliated colleges. UGC has issued 3 Regulations clearly defining the infrastructure and academic parameters to be achieved by each of the affiliated colleges. However, Affiliating Universities hardly have the time and capacity to undertake academic improvement plans for the colleges. As a result, the instrument of affiliation is poorly used, and this is reflected in the poor academic outcomes in the entire system.

The project aims to address this issue by strengthening the Affiliation system by bringing in reputed academicians as Academic Mentors – who would operate through the College Development Council (CDC) of the Affiliating University. They will focus on non-accredited government/aided colleges, thereby causing improvement in the academic outcomes and employability of students. The five key goals that the project aims to achieve are to increase the graduation rate, improve academic outcomes for all students, improve employability, secure acceptable standards in all HEIs (measured by the accreditation), and better social outreach of HEIs.

The project will run on Pilot mode in (5) Affiliating Universities which are early adapters, covering (50) unaccredited government/aided colleges and will be taken to the accreditation process, benefiting more than 5 lakh students who mostly come from poorer economic backgrounds. Revamped curriculum and connect with the NISHE project of CRISP (apprenticeship-embedded degree programmes) will improve employability even in the remotest colleges. The Unnat Bharat Abhiyaan will improve social outreach.

At the faculty level, it aims to improve the capacities of the faculty through the Faculty Development Programmes and promote research on local issues. At the student level, it promotes vibrant campuses by organising student activities, thereby ensuring that students attend classes and gain skills to become employable after their studies.

This is a low-cost, high-impact project that uses systemic changes that would strengthen the academic oversight by universities and thereby improve the overall academic outcomes.

5. Quality and Universal access to ECCE through Systemic Transformation (QUEST): A brief

Despite the acknowledged importance of access to quality early childhood education, more than 80% of children in India still stand deprived of it. The National Education Policy 2020, while adding 3 years of early childhood education to the school education, avowed to provide universal access to all children by 2030. The key to this lies with the 13 lakh + Anganwadis which were set up with the twin objectives of nutrition and education. Despite the gains in nutrition segment, the performance is dismal in the education component, primarily because of lack of focus on education.

Centre for Research in Schemes and Policies (CRISP) formed by (10) former senior civil servants each of whom have put 3 decades of service in social sector, works, on no cost basis, to support the State Governments in better delivery of social sector services. It is a systemic organisation which believes in strengthening the capacities of Government for a large-scale change. CRISP has been working with Government of Andhra Pradesh in bettering the ECCE in the Anganwadis through both systemic and pilot projects. Based on the learnings, this project has been prepared to address the challenges in (11) States over a period of 5 years. CRISP has been in partnership with the Government of India, Ministry of Women and Child Development through the NIPCCD.

The project aims at systemic transformation of both Anganwadi and the primary school system and aims at forging convergence. The strategy has 5 elements: (1) Physical and functional co-location of 50% of the Anganwadis with the primary schools, and thereby creating a more learning environment in the Anganwadis. (2) Designing Curriculum based on the national curriculum ‘Aadharshila’ in local language and local culture (3) Training the Anganwadi workers into ‘teachers’ through systematic training cascade (4) Equip the Anganwadis with necessary teaching learning material through Samagra Siksha and (5) Develop and deploy monitoring tools for the women SHGs so that there can be sustained academic and administrative monitoring of the ECCE in Anganwadis.

The project will be implemented in two phases: in the 1st Phase (2 years) (6) States – Karnataka, AP, Telangana, Meghalaya, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh will be taken up. In the 2nd Phase (5) other States: UP, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Assam and TN will be taken up.

The project is expected to improve the ECCE learning in more than 7 lakh Anganwadis and bring to focus the ECCE performance in the ICDS system. More than 1.4 Cr children would be benefited, helping to achieve the goals set in the NEP 2020

The project cost has followed the principles of minimum investment and maximum impact, with concomitant investments from the Government of India and the State Governments. The project will be monitored by strong annual social audits and independent evaluation once every 2 years.

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