From this year on, civil service probationers of the 2019 batch will have to adopt underprivileged and socially or economically-backward teens studying in Class X or above as mentees and provide them mentorship throughout their educational and professional lives. This unique mentorship programme, called 'Nurture the Future' was officially launched by the Central government recently at 'Aarambh', the common foundation course for civil service trainees that took place at the Statue of Unity in Kevadia, Gujarat.
The common foundation course was a first of it's kind event for the civil service probationers. The theme this year was 'How to achieve the goal of making India a 5 trillion dollar economy'. The initiative was launched as a part of this event and 425 children from 11 villages in Gujarat's Kevadiya, where Sardar Patel’s ‘Statue of Unity’ is located were identified for this. These children were then associated with the 425 officer trainees of 20 civil services, including the IPS, IAS, IFS and IRS.
"We have linked the officer trainee and their mentee with their Aadhaar numbers, so that they can stay in touch throughout their professional lives," a senior official from the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said, according to a report by The Print.
"The idea is in sync with the government’s desire to provide mentorship to those from underprivileged backgrounds, and also instil a sense of social responsibility among civil servants," the official added. "It will also ensure that these children continue to have access to these civil servants even when they become secretaries and top officers in other positions."
The central government has also been working on creating a portal solely meant for this initiative. Currently, only probationers at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) have been made a part of this programme. However, the centre will ask all government training academies to adopt it eventually as they plan to expand it across the country.
