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More young Indians are choosing purpose-driven rural fellowships over corporate jobs. SBI Foundation MD explains how the fellowship is shaping new career paths.
SBI Foundation MD shares insights on youth choosing impact-driven careers. (Representational Image)
At a time when more young Indians are seeking careers with purpose rather than just paychecks, the SBI Youth for India Fellowship provides an opportunity to work directly with rural communities and confront real development challenges on the ground. For many participants, this 13-month rural immersion becomes a formative experience that shapes future careers in policy, research, social entrepreneurship, and academia, says Sanjay Prakash, Managing Director & CEO of SBI Foundation.
Sanjay shared insights on how the fellowship has evolved over the years, what fellows actually do in the field, and the kind of support they receive during and after their rural immersion.
Here are the edited excerpts of the interview:
Q 1. Since its inception in 2011, how has the Youth for India Fellowship evolved to address the changing challenges of rural development? What unique qualities set your Fellows apart as emerging social leaders at the grassroots level?
Since its inception in 2011, the SBI Youth for India Fellowship has continually evolved to remain responsive to India’s complex and emerging rural challenges. SBI Youth for India is a 13-month immersion program that provides educated urban youth with a platform to engage with grassroots realities and drive innovation across diverse thematic areas such as education, environment, rural livelihoods, health, and women’s empowerment. Over the past decade, the Fellowship has expanded its reach to 250 rural locations across 22 States and UTs, building a strong alumni network of 710 changemakers.
The program design combines practical fieldwork with mentorship from leading NGOs to equip Fellows to identify systemic gaps and co-create context-specific solutions alongside communities. This hands-on experience fosters empathy, leadership, and problem-solving abilities. As a result, nearly 70% of these YFI Alumni transitioned into the development sector, with more than 50 having established their own social enterprises. Youth for India Fellows stand apart for their humility, adaptability, and commitment to collaborative change, bridging the urban-rural divide not through charity but through partnership and shared progress.
Q 2. Many alumni have launched social enterprises or joined prominent global organisations. What support systems does the SBI Foundation provide to fellows and alumni post-fellowship, particularly for those aiming to create long-term impact or pursue entrepreneurship?
SBI Foundation is deeply invested in nurturing the long-term journeys of Youth for India Fellows beyond their 13-month rural engagement. Recognizing that many Fellows evolve into social entrepreneurs, policy researchers, or leaders in global development
institutions, the SBI Foundation provides dedicated platforms and funding mechanisms to sustain their impact. One such initiative is SBI YFI Sahyog- The Pitch Fest, which extends seed grants to promising alumni-led enterprises, both for-profit and non-profit. These grants of over Rs. 1.63 crore have been awarded over a span of five years till now, and funding can be used for organizational capacity building, technology enhancement, process strengthening, infrastructure upgrades, or scaling innovative interventions with proven models. In addition, continue to work in the development sector or have launched impact-driven ventures. Alumni remain part of a lifelong network that fosters collaboration and knowledge exchange, enabling many to work with institutions such as J-PAL, ILO, and NITI Aayog, or pursue advanced studies at universities like Harvard, Oxford, and Stanford. This continuous ecosystem of mentoring, funding, and professional linkages ensures that YFI alumni remain catalysts of sustainable social change long after their Fellowship experience.
Q 3. Could you share specific examples where Fellows’ work in areas like food security, water conservation, or environmental protection has led to policy changes, motivated community action, or inspired scalable models across different regions?
Over the years, SBI Youth for India Fellows have pioneered grassroots solutions that balance innovation with scalability, often inspiring broader adoption by Partner NGOs and local administrations. In food security, alumnus Nishant Kumar Singh (YFI 2022-23 Batch) founded Jawhar Farms in Maharashtra – a social enterprise connecting urban demand for millet-based superfoods with tribal producers, also generating livelihoods for rural women.
In water conservation, Fellows such as Shashank Singh (YFI 2015-16 Batch) developed a pond for rainwater harvesting in the Chotta Naraina village of Rajasthan. Environmental protection projects have also yielded replicable models like Ruchinilo Kemp’s (YFI 2015-16 Batch) Kenono Foundation, which promotes conservation-based enterprises in Nagaland, aligning with India’s G20 and SDG commitments. These Fellow-led interventions have not only strengthened climate resilience and community participation but also demonstrated how bottom-up models can influence state and NGO-led program design across regions.
4. What roles do international Fellows or overseas Indians play in the Fellowship, and how does their involvement contribute to integrating global best practices into India’s rural development initiatives?
International Fellows from Nepal, Bhutan, and many NRIs and OCI from countries like Germany, the UK, and the USA play a vital role in broadening the Youth for India Fellowship’s perspective and enhancing cross-cultural learning. Their engagement continues to create rich knowledge exchange, where global methodologies intersect with India’s grassroots realities, leading to creative, context-sensitive solutions. For instance, international Fellows have introduced new frameworks in sustainable agriculture, eco-tourism, and education technology that draw from successful models abroad, while adapting them to the socio-cultural fabric of rural India. One such example is of Sumanth Vashist (YFI 2023-24 Batch), who came from Germany and had experience in supply chain. His skills helped streamline and strengthen the grassroots women’s enterprise of goat milk soap, SEWA Goatique, in a small village in Munger District of Bihar.
This diversity of thought leadership nurtures a collaborative environment where rural communities, NGOs, and Fellows co-learn and co-create impactful solutions. Beyond their Fellowship, international alumni often act as advocates and bridges, strengthening India’s development dialogue globally, facilitating partnerships, and applying their grassroots experience in international institutions. Their presence reinforces Youth for India’s mission of fostering shared futures and positioning India as a learning hub for community-led development innovation.
5. Given the Fellowship’s emphasis on capacity building, NGO collaboration, and themes such as women’s empowerment and technology, how do you prepare, mentor, and support working professionals and recent graduates during their 13-month rural immersion?
Youth for India Fellows undergo a rigorous preparation process designed to equip them with the knowledge, empathy, and practical skills needed for effective rural engagement. Most Fellows enter the program with limited rural exposure, so the Fellowship begins with a comprehensive two-week-long YFI orientation that introduces village ecosystems, development sector fundamentals, and the YFI framework. Afterwards, Fellows attend an NGO Orientation at their respective partner NGOs to understand their work in depth, the rural realities and their challenges. When Fellows finally reach the village, they begin their journey of change, one that unfolds through unlearning, collaborating, building, and sustaining. The SBI YFI team continues to provide mentorship, regular check-ins, mental-health support, language assistance, and consistent handholding to ensure a meaningful and grounded Fellowship experience. By fostering collaboration among Fellows, NGOs, and communities, the program ensures that participants emerge as reflective, skilled changemakers capable of leading sustainable transformation.
Archit Gupta is a Chief Sub-Editor at News18.com and a seasoned education journalist specialising in reporting on education and employment. He has covered a variety of education-related stories, including high-…Read More
Archit Gupta is a Chief Sub-Editor at News18.com and a seasoned education journalist specialising in reporting on education and employment. He has covered a variety of education-related stories, including high-… Read More
December 01, 2025, 16:05 IST
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