Grassroots Democracy Fellowship

About IGG

Institute of Grassroots Governance (IGG) is a registered professional society formed by a group of Youth alumni from the Department of Local Governance, Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development(RGNIYD), Sriperumbudur.

Why Fellowship ?

In India, there are many institutions that provide different types of fellowship to address and solve various developmental problems in the society. The rationale behind offering this fellowship is to increase the participation of Youth in Local Governance and make democratic decentralization a reality in India.

It has been almost three decades since the passing of the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Act in our country but the real fruits of decentralization are yet to be achieved. Through this fellowship, Youth will play a key role in empowering elected local self-governments and strengthening grassroots democracy.

Grassroots Democracy Fellowship (GDF) is one of the milestones of IGG to strengthen the spirit of participatory democracy at the grassroots. It has been framed and conceptualized to address the problem of lack of proper developmental planning by the Gram Panchayats.

So, there is a need for a professional support system to Gram panchayats in developing a participatory and inclusive Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) as well as the implementation of the approved plan by mobilizing various resources for development.

Fellows will play a catalyst role in providing professional support to the panchayats based on the inputs and guidance from the team IGG.

Eligibility Criteria

• Willingness to stay, travel in and around the rural areas and immerse with the community
• Having a minimum Post-Graduation degree in any social science course from a reputed university or institute and candidates having a Bachelor’s degree with minimum 2 years of field experience in Rural development will be considered
• Having good reading, writing and speaking knowledge skills in Tamil and English

What we offer?

• The Fellow will receive a stipend amount of Rs. 8000 per month for 12 months and an additional stipend of ₹25000 will be paid after the successful completion of the Fellowship
• The Fellow will get a covered medical insurance for a 12 months period
• Most importantly, The Fellow will receive hands on experience of rural life for an year
• The Fellow will be provided with a reasonable accommodation facility during the fellowship
• A certificate will be provided only on the successful completion of the fellowship