National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD)

3rd Post Graduate Diploma Programme in Rural Development Management (PGDRDM) 2010-2012

National Institute or Rural Development (NIRD) is a premier national center of excellence in rural development. Recognised as one of the UN-ESCAP Centers of Excellence in HRD, it builds capacities of the rural development functionaries, elected representatives, academicians and young students through inter-related activities of teaching, training, research, action research and consultancy. Its faculty comprises of experienced academicians and' development practitioners. The Institute has functional networks with national and international organizations, excellent training and teaching infrastructure, with air-conditioned conference halls, library, video conferencing facilities, furnished hostel rooms, a health center and an indoor sports complex with gymnasium, swimming pool and Yoga Center.

For more details about the Institute and the PGDRDM, please visit their website: www.nird.org.in

The NIRD announces its third fully residential One Year 'Post Graduate Diploma Programme in Rural Development Management (PGDRDM)' with an aim to create a committed and competent cadre of Rural Development professionals the country. While laying the theoretical foundations of rural development, the programme seeks to impart management techniques that will enhance the understanding' of the paradigm and practice of rural development. All tire students of the first batch have been placed. The secgrra batch is in progress. The NIRD is also launching a/Post-Graduate Diploma Programme in Sustainable Rural "Development in a distance education mode. Separate advertisement will be issued for that programme.

Eligibility: Graduation in any discipline from a recognized University. Students who are in the final year and expect to complete all the requirements of graduation before 1st August, 2010 may also apply/Some seats are reserved for the Indian in-service candidates and international students sponsored by regional development organizations such as AARDO, CIRDAP, SAARC and South American Organizations. In-service candidates should possess with at least two years of work experience in rural development and allied sectors and they are required to apply through their employers. The international candidates should apply through the secretariats of the respective regional organisations viz., AARDO, CIRDAP etc., if they want funding support from them. They may however, send an advance application. Self-financed international students may apply directly. In-service Indian candidates are required to appear for the Entrance Test along with the general students. The eligibility parameters for international students are placed on the NIRD's website.



Selection Process: Selection of candidates will be made through a process of All-India Entrance Test which will test the verbal, quantitative and analytical competencies of the students. Group Discussion and Personal Interviews will be conducted for the short-listed students. TOTAL NO. OF SEATS: 60 (may undergo some changes depending upon infrastructural contingencies. Of these, up to 10 seats may be allotted to the in-service national and international candidates).

Programme Duration: (One year) August, 2010 to July, 2011

Course Fee: Indian Students Rs. 1.40 lakh; International Students: US $ 6000

Board and Lodging: The annual board and lodging expenses will be approximately Rs.90,000 for Indian students and US $ 4000 for international students. Accommodation will be given to the students in the NIRD campus.

Caution Deposit: A refundable Caution Deposit of Rs. 10,000 for Indian and US $ 200 for International students (Mess Deposit, Library Deposit and Hostel Deposit) is a requirement.

Seat Reservation Fee: Upon selection, a non-refundable Seat Reservation Fee of Rs. 14,000 for Indian students and US $ 600 for international students should be paid.

Scholarships: Merit and need based scholarships will be made available to deserving Indian students. The North Eastern Council, Shillong, has fully funded the North Eastern students selected for the PGDRDM in 2008-09. Similar financial support to the admitted students domiciled in the North Eastern region is likely for the years 2009-10 and 2010-11 subject to a maximum of two students from each of the eight North Eastern states. Bank loans will also be facilitated by the NIRD for needy Indian students.

Reservation: Reservations for the students of the SC/ST/ OBC (Non-creamy layer) and Persons with Disability (PWD) will be made as per Government of India's policies.

ENTRANCE TEST: The Entrance Test will be conducted on 24.01.2010 at the following centres: Agartala, Ahmedabad, Aizawl, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Dibrugarh, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Imphal, Indore, Itanagar, Jaipur, Jammu, KolkataJ&jhima.Kanpur, Lucknow, Mangalore, Mumbai, Nagpur, Patna, Pune, Rajkot, Raipur, Ranchi, Shillong, SiligurL/Srinagar, Thiruvananthapuram, Udaipur and Vishajtffapatanam. The NIRD reserves the right to cancel any of tha'centres for any administrative reasons and assign any other /centre to the applicants.

Placement: NIRD will endeavour to make placements on successful completion of the PGDRDM, but does not guarantee. However, all the students of the first batch of the PGDRDM were placed with state and central government agencies, public sector banks and non-governmental organizations. The same trend is expected this year as well.

How To Apply: Prospectus cum application forms can be obtained from the Admissions Officer, Centre for Post Graduate Studies (CPGS) free of cost. Application forms will also be given at NIRD - NERC office at Khanapara, Guwahati and at the Eastern Regional Centre of NIRD at Patna. Request for Application forms by Post should reach along with self addressed stamped (Rs.13) envelope of size 12" x 10" by 11.12.09 during working hours (9.00 am to 5.30 pm). It can also be downloaded from the NIRD's www.nird.org.in


The filled in application form should be submitted along with the application fee of Rs.1200 (Rs.600/- for SC/ST and PWD candidates) and US $ 50 for international candidates through an 'Account Payee' Demand Draft drawn in favour of NIRD. Hyderabad. The International Students should use the Swiftcode: SBHYINBB052, A/c Number: 62052905893 for application fee of US $ 50. The filled in application form should be addressed to the Admissions Coordinator, Centre for Post Graduate Studies (CPGS), National Institute of Rural Development, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad-500 030 (A.PJ so as to reach on or before 18.12.09.

Last date for receipt of applications from the students residing in the North Eastern States is 24.12.09 and for international students 08.01.2010.

Applications received after the cut off date shall be rejected. NIRD reserves the right to make changes to the Diploma Programme, its design/content and the process of selection, depending upon the exigencies, without assigning any reasons whatsoever.

Important Dates:
Last Date for manual issue of Application forms: 11.12.2009
Last date for receiving filled in Application forms at NIRD, Hyderabad: 18.12.2009
Last date for receiving filled in Application forms at NIRD, Hyderabad from the North - Eastern States: 24.12.2009
Last date for receiving filled in Application forms at NIRD, Hyderabad from the International applicants : 08.01.2010
Entrance Test Date for all Indian applicants: 24.01.2010