Raipur, Oct 09: Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai held an interactive session with the second batch of the Chief Minister’s Good Governance Fellowship at his residence office on Friday, urging young fellows to leverage their knowledge and skills to drive positive changes in citizens’ lives.

Addressing the 36 selected fellows, Chief Minister Sai stated that youth participation is vital to realizing the vision of both ‘Viksit Chhattisgarh’ and ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047.

Reflecting on his personal journey from early childhood struggles to public life, Chief Minister Sai shared that he was forced to shoulder family and agricultural responsibilities at the age of ten following his father’s untimely death. He advised the fellows to execute every assigned duty with empathy, sincerity, and absolute integrity while keeping public welfare at the center of their work.

Detailing state priorities, Chief Minister Sai highlighted that the government is upgrading 30 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and has organized over 700 job fairs (Rojgar Melas) over the last two and a half years, providing employment to nearly 24,000 youths. He added that the state’s New Industrial Policy prioritizes local recruitment, while a budgetary allocation of ₹500 crore under the state AI Mission aims to impart Artificial Intelligence education to six lakh students and train 1,500 government officials.

Outlining the roadmap, Secretary to the Chief Minister and Department of Good Governance Shri Rahul Bhagat said the two-year fellowship—run in collaboration with IIM Raipur and Transform Rural India—includes five months of academic training and 19 months of field immersion across districts to monitor welfare scheme implementation and enhance public delivery.