The Chief Minister Fellowship Program offers the youth an opportunity to be a part of the government. The innovative ideas of the fellows has helped the administration. The enthusiasm and tech savviness of fellows gives momentum to the administrative processes. The program has helped the young fellows in broadening their vision through the knowledge and experiences.

Eligibility

To apply for Chief Minister Fellowship, 2026 the eligibility criteria are as follows:

1. The age of the candidate has to be between 21 years to 26 years as on the first date of submission of the application i.e., 8th May 2026. The person born between 08 / 05 / 2000 to 08 / 05 / 2005 (including both days) is eligible to apply for Chief Minister Fellowship, 2026.

2. The candidate should be a graduate from any discipline with minimum 60% marks.

3. The decision about placement at a specific authority will be taken by the Commissionerate of Economics and Statistics. The Fellows will not have any right or choice in the selection of authority.

4. Candidate should be able to write, read, and speak Marathi. Sufficient knowledge of Hindi and English is required. Applicants should have knowledge of internet and computer handling.

5. Along with the field work, the Fellows will be bound to complete the special course designed by IIT Bombay, Mumbai.

Nature

1. The term of the Fellowship will be of 12 months from the day of joining as a Fellow. All the Fellows will join on the same day. It will be mandatory for all the fellows to be present at the time and place, as directed.

2. The selected Fellow will be appointed (placed) at the office of a specific authority.

These authorities include offices of District Collectors and Chief Executive Officers of districts.

3. The decision about appointment at a specific authority will be taken by the Commissionerate of Economics and Statistics. The Fellows will not have any right or choice in the selection of authority.

4. The Fellows will work under the guidance of the chief officer of the concerned authority. They will work for the effective functioning of the authority. This will be called Field Work.

5. Along with the field work, the Fellows will be bound to complete the special course designed by IIT Bombay, Mumbai.

6. Only those fellows who successfully complete the field work and academic course will be eligible to get the Fellowship completion certificate.

Frequently asked questions

1. What is the Chief Minister Fellowship Program by the Government of Maharashtra?

Chief Minister Fellowship Program is an important initiative of the Government of Maharashtra. The Chief Minister Fellowship Program offers the youth an opportunity to be a part of the government. The innovative ideas of the fellows help the administration. The enthusiasm and tech savviness of fellows gives momentum to the administrative processes. The program helps the young fellows in broadening their vision through knowledge and experiences.

2. Who launched the Chief Minister Fellowship Program?

The Chief Minister Fellowship Program was launched in 2015 by the then Chief Minister of Maharashtra Hon. Shri. Devendra Fadnavis.

3. What is the duration of the Chief Minister Fellowship, 2026?

The duration of the Chief Minister Fellowship, 2026 is 12 months.

4. When can I apply for the Chief Minister Fellowship, 2026?

The application process for the Chief Minister Fellowship, 2026 commences on 8th May 2026.

5. Do I require the original documents at the time of application?

The original documents are not required at the time of application. The information from these documents is to be filled in the application form. The original documents of candidates selected for the interviews are verified on the day of interview. The candidate may get debarred or may have to face legal proceedings for any discrepancy in the stated information and original documents.

6. As a fellow, who will I report to?

Fellows will work directly under the senior government officials, who will mentor the fellows. Fellows will interact frequently with these officials and update them on their assignments.
Fellows will have to submit their monthly report to their mentors as well as the Commissionerate of Economics and Statistics. Director, Commissionerate of Economics and Statistics will evaluate the performance of the fellows every 3 months. Hon’ble Chief Minister will also review the assignments of the fellows twice in a year.

7. What is the nature of work / assignments undertaken by fellows?

The nature of work is different for every fellow. It depends on the placement and the requirements of the office / officer with whom they are placed. The fellows may be involved in supporting the implementation of ongoing programs, planning and execution of initiatives / projects, monitoring of projects, review of existing government programs, policy making, etc. The fellows may work on a single project throughout the tenure of the fellowship or may be involved in multiple projects depending on the nature of work.
In the past the fellows placed across the authorities had collaborated with each other and had presented innovative projects and policy propositions to the government, in addition to their regular assignments.

8. Do you prefer any specific stream of education, skill set or qualities in the Fellows?

Graduates with first class from any stream of education can work as fellows. The fellow is expected to display confidence, leadership qualities, analytical thinking, problem solving skills, communication skills, and soft skills needed to work with diverse stakeholders. Parameters other than the eligibility criteria (like gender, sexuality, marital status, socio-economic background, profession, disability, rural upbringing, etc.) do not have any impact on the selection of fellows.

9. Is there a provision for training the fellows?

IIT Bombay, Mumbai will train fellows in tools and methodologies for effective public policy. The training program will have on-campus and online modules. It is mandatory for all the fellows to attend the training program and complete it successfully, in order to get the fellowship completion certificate. The details of this training program will be shared at the right time. Besides this program, interactions with eminent personalities, visits to various organisations, etc. will be organised. These visits and interactions offer great learnings. There is no specific training for the work that fellows will be undertaking at their placement. The reason being, the work profile of each fellow differs depending upon the placement, requirements of the authority, and the skill set of the fellow. It is expected that fellows learn while they work. The mentoring officers will guide the fellows.

10. What are the future career opportunities available to fellows?

The experience of working with an important and mammoth institution like the government is a very rare and unique experience. The fellowship program enhances various skills related to management, communication, problem solving, resourcefulness, etc. This experience presents various academic and career opportunities to fellows. Careers in civil services, public policy, policy making, management, consultancy, social sector are some of the avenues.

11. What is the rationale behind the eligibility criteria of 1 year of full time work experience and what all is considered as 1 year of full time work experience?

The eligibility criteria of work experience ensures that the candidate has basic professional exposure and has dealt with some real-world challenges at the work place. This will help the candidate navigate smoothly from the beginning of the fellowship and contribute meaningfully. Full time work experience means minimum 48 hours of work per week. 1 year of full time work experience includes complete 12 months of full time job or full time internship / apprenticeship / articleship as part of a professional course or full time self-employment. In case of candidates claiming full time self-employment, the selection committee shall evaluate the claim and/or shall ask to furnish certain documentary evidences depending upon the nature of self-employment.

12.What are the various stages of the selection procedure?

The selection process consists of 2 stages. At the 1st stage, all applicants are required to take an online objective test and an essay test. The objective test is a qualifier for the 2nd Stage. 210 applicants scoring highest marks in the online objective test become eligible for the 2nd stage which is personal interview. Essays of only shortlisted candidates are assessed for the 2nd stage personal interviews. The final selection process includes assessment of essays and the personal interviews of candidates. Out of all the interviewed candidates, 60 candidates are selected on merit. The composition of online test as well as weightage given to online test, essays, and interviews for the final selection is specified under the 'Selection Process' tab of this portal.

13.Where will the examination be conducted?

The online objective test and essay test will be conducted on the same day at designated examination centers. The designated examination centers will be made available in the 6 cities of divisional headquarters (i.e., Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Amravati, and Nagpur). The applicants are required to choose 3 preferred locations for examination centers. Details of the allotted examination center will be mentioned on the admit card, which will be issued after the completion of the application process.