Youth are an important plank of BAIF’s integrated development programme. The local youth have played a significant role in community development through their active participation in various development programmes launched by BAIF in remote villages across the country. These barefoot technicians have encouraged the community to adopt appropriate technologies for rural prosperity. Over the last one decade, realizing the role of urban youth too in the process of development, BAIF has launched various Fellowship programmes.
Under the SBI Youth For India Fellowship Programme, 9 youth and 5 youth under the SPARK-Janarth Fellowship Programme placed in various locations of BAIF, are involved in community mobilisation and application of appropriate science and technology in rural development. Some of these enterprising youth are also engaged in pilot production of pen stands, earthern lamps making use of cow dung; pine needle for making various handicrafts; digital promotion of BAIF’s tribal initiative Nahari; graphical and interactive manuals and identifying scalable interventions in value chains for locally abundant produce like Amchur (mango powder) and Mahua flowers and seeds. These youth are truly bridging the gap between rural and urban India.
