The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) with the Grassroots Research And Advocacy Movement (GRAAM), a Mysuru-based public policy think tank, to engage two research fellows under the Embark India Development Fellowship (EIDF). The partnership places highly motivated young professionals inside the ministry to work on data-driven policy solutions and governance challenges. This is the latest in a series of such institutional collaborations under the EIDF, which previously partnered with the Ministry of Ayush in March 2026.
What Is the Embark India Development Fellowship?
The Embark India Development Fellowship is an 18-month national leadership and capacity-building programme spearheaded by GRAAM in collaboration with Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India (MBRDI) as part of its corporate social responsibility initiative. The programme is anchored in the Viksit Bharat@2047 vision and seeks to prepare the next generation of development leaders by embedding them directly within government institutions.
The fellowship follows a structured multi-phase design. It begins with virtual policy bootcamps, followed by a one-month residential training in Bengaluru based on GRAAM’s 3PE model (an approach integrating policy, practice, and evaluation). Fellows then undergo a six-month immersive placement within central government ministries and agencies in New Delhi. The programme culminates in a National Policy Conclave where fellows present their research and policy solutions.
Selected from a national pool of applicants through a rigorous process, each fellow receives a stipend of up to Rs 65,000 per month along with mentorship from senior governance leaders, academics, and industry experts. The fellowship covers domains such as public finance, economic growth, public health, climate action, and data governance. The current cohort, Cohort I, runs from August 2025 to December 2026 and includes 20 fellows placed across various government departments.
The Partnership With MoSPI
Under the SoI signed in New Delhi, two EIDF fellows will be placed within MoSPI to support its ongoing and new initiatives through evidence-based research and innovative policy solutions. The fellows will work on critical areas such as data governance, capacity building, and programme evaluation, contributing directly to the ministry’s mandate of coordinating India’s statistical system and monitoring large-scale government projects.
The Statement of Intent was signed by Basavaraju R. Shreshta, Executive Director of GRAAM, and Prasoon Verma, Director of the Training Unit under MoSPI’s Capacity Development Division. Senior officials present at the ceremony included PR Meshram, Director General (Data Governance) at MoSPI. The initiative aims to leverage the fellows’ skills for the benefit of the ministry while providing them with practical hands-on experience in public policy and governance.
This partnership follows a similar collaboration between GRAAM and the Ministry of Ayush in March 2026, where a Joint Statement of Intent was signed to place fellows under the same fellowship programme. These successive agreements reflect a growing recognition within the government of the value of embedding trained researchers within ministries to strengthen data-informed decision-making.
About GRAAM and MoSPI
Grassroots Research And Advocacy Movement (GRAAM) is a public policy research and advocacy initiative based in Mysuru, Karnataka. Established in 2011 and registered under the Indian Trust Act, 1882, GRAAM works at the intersection of research, policy engagement, and grassroots advocacy. It collaborates with governments, civil society, the corporate sector, and academia to produce evidence-based policy recommendations. The organisation is led by its Executive Director, Dr Basavaraju R. Shreshta, and its founder is Dr R. Balasubramaniam.
MoSPI came into existence as an independent ministry on 15 October 1999 following the merger of the Department of Statistics and the Department of Programme Implementation. Headquartered in Khurshid Lal Bhawan, Janpath, New Delhi, it is the nodal agency for the planned development of India’s statistical system. The ministry operates through two wings: the Statistics Wing, called the National Statistical Office (NSO), and the Programme Implementation (PI) Wing. It also oversees the National Statistical Commission (NSC), created in 2006, and the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), an institute of national importance established by an Act of Parliament in 1959. The current Minister of State (Independent Charge) is Rao Inderjit Singh.
Key Takeaways
- MoSPI signed a Statement of Intent with GRAAM to engage two research fellows under the Embark India Development Fellowship.
- The Embark India Development Fellowship is an 18-month national programme anchored in the Viksit Bharat@2047 vision.
- The fellowship is supported by Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India (MBRDI) as a CSR initiative and includes a six-month placement within central government ministries.
- Selected fellows receive a stipend of up to Rs 65,000 per month and mentorship from senior governance leaders.
- GRAAM was established in 2011, is headquartered in Mysuru, Karnataka, and is registered under the Indian Trust Act, 1882.
- MoSPI was created on 15 October 1999 and is headquartered in Khurshid Lal Bhawan, New Delhi, with two wings: NSO (Statistics) and PI Wing (Programme Implementation).
