New Delhi, Nov 6 (IANS): India has an acute scarcity of professional human resource to work for the poor, Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh here Wednesday.

Laying stress on the need to expand the pool of human resource, Ramesh said the Prime Minister's Rural Development (PMRD) fellowships provide an opportunity to address this issue.

The PMRD fellowship is an initiative of the rural development ministry where the focus is on reducing poverty and improving the lives of people in rural India. It is being implemented in collaboration with state governments.

The fellowship is a short-term work opportunity for young women and men who already possess academic or professional expertise.

"Helping the poor get their place in society and development of underdeveloped regions remains a major challenge before the country," the minister said, launching the second phase of the fellowships here.

The minister also released a book on PMRD fellows. It profiles the current batch of 138 fellows spread over 83 districts across nine states.