The government of Maharashtra has sought advice from Nobel Laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus in designing programmes for rural development and inclusive financing.

Sudhir Mugantiwar, finance minister of Maharashtra, asked for the Grameen Bank founder's assistance when he visited the Indian state, Yunus Centre in Dhaka said in a statement yesterday.

They discussed various issues at the meeting on Sunday that was attended by secretaries and heads of all government agencies involved in development issues, academics and representatives of national rural finance organisation NABARD.

The minister spoke about the issues that will help him prepare a strategy document to present as part of his next budget statement, and include relevant actions in the budgetaswell.

Mugantiwar specifically wanted to know more about the programmes to bring the unemployed rural and urban youth out

of unemployment.

He and his team wanted to find out why microcredit programmes and lending for small and medium enterprises in his state were not performing satisfactorily, and how to revitalise these programmes in line with the Grameen Bank experience in Bangladesh.

His three main concerns were:

ensuring financial inclusion for the poorest of the poor through microfinance, spurring entrepreneurship in Maharashtra and reviving bankrupt micro, small and medium enterprises to create jobs.

Explaining social business, Yunus said making money is happiness but making other people happy is super happiness.

The minister then said he wants to convert the state's 1.7 million self-help groups into 'Super Happiness Groups'.

At the end of the meeting, the minister said he would like to go to Bangladesh on a study tour between October 23 and November 9, along with experts and state officials.