Rural development minister Jairam Ramesh said India faces a human resource deficit when dealing with development issues requiring sensitive and competent handling. His ministry would collaborate with the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, and extend funding to the Institute of Rural Management Anand in Gujarat to create a pool of talented people to accelerate the development process in rural India. The Prime Minister’s Rural Development Fellowship Scheme (PMRDFS) will be used to build students as a cadre of development facilitators, a ready resource for long-term rural development activities.
