Yashwantrao Chavan Academy of Development Administration (YASHADA) is the Administrative Training Institute of the Government of Maharashtra, and meets the training needs of government departments and rural and urban non-officials and stakeholders. Human resource development has traditionally been one of Maharashtra's major strengths. The importance of evolving sound and responsive administrative systems was realized as far back as 1963 when the Administrative Staff College (ASC) was established in Mumbai. The ASC was relocated at Pune in 1984 and renamed "Maharashtra Institute of Development Administration" (MIDA).MIDA,constituted as an autonomous society under the Societies Registrations Act, 1860, was to serve as the apex body for promoting and developing modern management practices and was to function as the nodal state level training institute in the field of development administration. Aptly enough, it was rechristened, "Yashwantrao Chavan Academy of Development Administration" (YASHADA) in 1990, as a tribute to the pioneering spirit of the late Shri Y. B. Chavan, former Chief Minister of Maharashtra & Deputy Prime Minister of India, who had inspired the setting up of the ASC.

Objectives

YASHADA is a composite training institute having a dual role as an Administrative Training Institute and a State Institute of Rural Development. The objectives of YASHADA are as follows:

• To promote modern management science as a major instrument for development of economic and social activities of the State Government, Zilla Parishads and other institutions and organizations of the State Government.
• To develop managerial skills, organizational capability, leadership and decision-making ability for development planning and efficiency in implementation of policies, programmes and projects.
• To carry on operational and policy-oriented research, to evolve ideas and concepts appropriate to the local, state and national environment and to formulate policy alternatives.
• To serve as the apex institute for the collection and dissemination of information regarding development administration.
• To foster, assist and support individuals, organizations and institutions in the use of management science.
• To provide consultancy services in development and public administration.
• To function as the nodal State-level training institute in the field of development administration.