Swapan Dhar, MD and CEO, SBI Foundation speaks on various aspects of SBI Youth for India Fellowship
1. How has the response been from Northeast India? Please provide the state-wise and year-wise number of fellows from Northeast India since the beginning of the programme till date
Swapan Dhar (SD): The response from Northeast India to the SBI Youth for India Fellowship has been steadily growing, with increasing participation from youth across the region. Fellows from Northeast India have made significant contributions in areas such as education, environmental conservation, livelihoods, and health, often drawing from their deep
cultural insights to address local challenges.
Notable contributors include Ruchinilo Kemp and Karthick Sakthivel. Karthick’s
project in South Sikkim, focused on water security, has seen the creation of poly ponds for rooftop rainwater harvesting. This initiative has already stored over 140,000 liters of water, benefiting 53 families directly and 80+ families indirectly. Karthick’s project exemplifies the alignment between the Fellowship’s objectives and the region’s development priorities.
Kenono Foundation in Nagaland also showcases growing regionalengagement,
combining forest biodiversity conservation with community empowerment.
While detailed state-wise and year-wise data is maintained internally, the overall trend indicates a consistent and meaningful contribution from Northeast India, strengthening locally rooted solutions for sustainable development.
2: What are the key attributes or qualities you look for in applicants for the SBI
Foundation Fellowship?
SD: The SBI Youth for India Fellowship looks for individuals who combine purpose with humility and resilience. Ideal applicants demonstrate a genuine willingness to learn from communities, adapt to unfamiliar environments, and work collaboratively rather than impose solutions. Curiosity, empathy, and strong listening skills are essential, as Fellows’ engage deeply with complex rural realities. The program values problem -solvers who can think systemically, co-create context-specific solutions, and remain committed through uncertainty. A readiness to unlearn urban assumptions, coupled with integrity and perseverance, sets a strong candidate apart.
3. What kind of support does SBI Foundation offer to alumni after the fellowship, especially for those looking to launch social enterprises or pursue long-term careers in global organizations?
SD: SBI Foundation provides long-term, structured support to Youth for India (YFI) alumni to ensure their impact continues beyond the 13-month Fellowship. Alumni aiming to launch social enterprises or expand existing initiatives receive support through platforms like SBI YFI Sahyog – The Pitch Fest, which offers seed grants to promising ventures. Over Rs 1.63 crore has been awarded in the past five years to aid in capacity building, technology adoption, and scaling successful models.
Beyond financial support, alumni gain access to a robust lifelong network, continued mentoring, and knowledge exchange, helping them advance in their careers. This ecosystem has enabled many alumni to join global institutions such as J-PAL, ILO, and NITI Aayog, or pursue further studies at leading universities.
Notable alumni-led initiatives include Himalayan Blooms, women-led project in
Uttarakhand empowering rural artisans through crochet and knitting and BEPCoR, a social enterprise empowering woman through sustainable beekeeping which creates immersive edtech solutions for visually impaired students. These projects exemplify the sustained leadership fostered by the SBI Foundation’s post-Fellowship support.
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4. How do you see the fellows contributing to the local communities they arebplaced in, and what kind of projects have had the most significant impact?
SD: Youth for India Fellows make meaningful contributions to local communities by closely working with residents and partner NGOs to identify real, lived challenges and cocreate practical solutions. They build trust, strengthen local capacities, and empower
communities to take ownership of change Projects with the most significant impact often focus on local participation and sustainability. Fishy Farmers Pvt Ltd, founded by T Sai Krishna, simplifies
sustainable aquaculture in India with its energy-efficient, zero-maintenance filtration system, helping farmers improve water quality and reduce fish mortality. Another impactful initiative, UdyamWell, led by Sachin Korla, is a tech-enabled platform that supports rural enterprises by connecting them to markets and enhancing their digital capabilities, empowering grassroots businesses to grow sustainably.
Fellows have also led successful projects in areas such as food security through
livelihood-linked agriculture, water conservation through community-managed harvesting systems, and environmental protection via conservation enterprises. Initiatives focused on women’s empowerment, rural livelihoods, and climate resilience have demonstrated particularly strong outcomes, combining economic opportunity with long-term social value.
5: What types of support do fellows receive throughout their fellowship, and how does SBI Foundation ensure their success and growth during this journey?
SD: Youth for India Fellows receive continuous professional, and personal support throughout their 13-month rural immersion to ensure meaningful learning and impact.
The journey begins with a structured orientation that builds understanding of rural ecosystems, development principles, and field realities, followed by in-depth onboarding with Partner NGOs. Throughout the Fellowship, Fellows benefit from regular mentoring, progress reviews, and guidance from the SBI Youth for India team and NGO supervisors. Ongoing support includes problem-solving assistance, language facilitation, and access to well-being resources to navigate personal and professional challenges. Peer learning and collaboration further strengthen this experience. This integrated support framework enables Fellows to build confidence, deepen leadership skills, and grow into reflective practitioners capable of driving sustainable change at the grassroots level.
6: In terms of the number of fellows, the range of projects, or the geographical
spread, how has the scale of SBI Youth for India grown over time?
SD: Since its launch in 2011, the SBI Youth for India Fellowship has steadily expanded in scale, reach, and diversity of impact. What started as a focused rural immersion initiative has grown into a nationwide program spanning over 250 rural locations across 22 States & Union Territories. The Fellowship now engages hundreds of young professionals each year across 12 thematic areas such as education, environment, health, rural livelihoods, and women’s empowerment, etc. responding to evolving development priorities. This growth is reflected in a strong alumni network of over 700
Fellows, many of whom continue to contribute to the development sector or build social enterprises. The expanding geographic footprint and widening range of communityled projects have enabled the Fellowship to address regional challenges while creating scalable and replicable models, rooted in local contexts.
