New Delhi, March 26 : The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) in association with nine IIMs has invited applications for Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship (MGNF). In a statement, the MSDE said that the fellowship is a two-year blended programme consisting of classroom sessions at IIMs and a unique opportunity to promote skill planning and development in district economies and yhe last date to apply is March 27. Following the success of the pilot cohort, the MSDE announces the launch of 'Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship' (MGNF) 2021-23 in collaboration with IIM Ain Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Jammu, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Nagpur, Ranchi, Udaipur and Visakhapatnam. The MGNF 2021-23, has been rolled out nationally in more than 660 districts across India. "It is a unique opportunity for young, dynamic individuals to combine classroom sessions at IIM with engagement in the district economies to promote skill development and skill planning. Launched last year, the implementation of the programme has been a great success and has garnered appreciation from various stakeholders," the ministry said. The ministry explained that past fellows have had a substantial impact on their respective District Skill Committees. Some have created interesting projects that use skills as a pre-cursor for employment by integrating ideas from business management, public policy, and development economics learned at IIMB and understanding their district's potential. Some of the initiatives are with SHGs; others are market-based interventions to strengthen local economies. /IANS