New Delhi, Apr 4 (PTI) The Congress on Friday launched a fellowship programme named after former prime minister Manmohan Singh under which 50 mid-career professionals will be chosen every year and mentored by senior party leaders from professional backgrounds with an aim of building a modern and progressive India.

Addressing a joint press conference with SC department national coordinator K Raju and AICC media and publicity department head Pawan Khera, Chairman of Professionals' Congress and Data Analytics Praveen Chakravarty said 'The Dr. Manmohan Singh Fellows' programme will identify and choose 50 mid-career professionals from across the country every year.

Chakravarty said those professionals would be chosen who are in the middle of their careers, not at the entry level, but who have spent close to ten years in the professional world, and now who are passionate about building a modern, progressive, prosperous India,.

"These 50 people will be chosen by an eminent panel through a very intense selection process. Once they are chosen, they will be mentored by senior leaders in the Congress Party who have come from professional backgrounds themselves," he said.

"As professionals, and I'm sure Raju ji will agree with me, we also know how hard it can be for people coming from non-political backgrounds and families to transition to politics and the culture of a political party. So we will use our experiences and learnings to make it smoother for this new set of Dr. Manmohan Singh fellows to transition to politics and public life," he said.

The chosen fellows will be given intensive and continuous training and put on real-time assignments and projects within the Congress party under the constant guidance of senior leaders, Chakravarty said.

He said it is important to know that this programme is a full-time commitment to enter politics with an absolute conviction for secular progressive politics.

This is not an entry-level internship programme, nor is it time-bound with just a certificate at the end of it, he said.

This is a serious programme for serious people with serious intent for public service, Chakravarty asserted.

"It is our hope that the future leadership of the Congress Party can emerge from these cohorts of Dr. Manmohan Singh Fellows and that will be a fitting tribute to the legacy of the former Prime Minister of India," he said.

Chakravarty noted lot is happening in India and around the world right now.

"In India, we're debating Hindu-Muslim laws, while the United States under President Trump is ushering in a new world economic order," he said.

"As you're all aware, President Trump has announced major tariffs on all countries, including India. This could impose extremely harsh conditions on countries like India that rely heavily on trade for economic growth. If we don't respond properly, tariffs can lead to severe job losses and trigger extreme unemployment," he said.

At this critical juncture, our nation misses a leader like Dr. Manmohan Singh, who could advise and guide us through this situation, Chakravarty said.

"What would Dr. Singh have done? This is a question many Indian politicians and policymakers are asking. Unfortunately, we don't have Dr. Singh to provide answers.I recall visiting Dr. Singh after the Russian attack on Ukraine, when global oil prices were rising rapidly. I asked him how India could protect its economy from this geopolitical crisis. With characteristic modesty, Dr. Singh suggested gathering a group of young professionals to think through these issues and provide solutions.

"He humbly added that his views might be outdated. I disagreed, insisting that his wisdom, experience, and expertise were still invaluable," Chakravarty said.

Although Dr. Singh is no longer with us, one of his wishes can be fulfilled by empowering young professionals to lead the country, the Congress leader said, adding that to achieve this, the Dr. Manmohan Singh Fellows programme is being launched.

In his remarks at the presser, Raju said Manmohan Singh Fellows will be working with senior professionals who are working in the Congress party or with Congress leaders who have had a professional background to help them in the transition.

"I'm glad that I'll be one of those mentors. We would like to first understand what kind of strengths these professionals possess and what it is that they can contribute to the party. And then we will work on creating an ecosystem for them to grow in politics," he said.

"That way, through one year of mentoring, we will train them how to cope with politics and how to deal with the uncertainties of politics. At the same time, they will learn how to stay focused on their goal with our support," he said.

"I have no doubt in my mind that they will really grow as very good politicians with strong professional backing and will be able to contribute to the party to make decisions at an appropriate level to bring in transformation in society," Raju said.

Noting that today, politics demands a lot of knowledge in various domains, he said political leaders are not just there to sit in the Assembly or Parliament to pass bills but they need to understand the intricacies of these things.

"That kind of knowledge base has to come into politics, and I'm sure this particular initiative will go a long way to make the Indian National Congress unique when compared to other political parties," Raju said. PTI ASK ASK DV DV DV