Government of Maharashtra signs MoU with Tata Trusts

To improve governance and community developmental indicators for the state

Government of Maharashtra and Tata Trusts have signed multiple Memorandum of Understandings (MoU) to work together to improve community developmental indicators for the state. Through this partnership, the state government will be able to achieve convergence and improve efficiencies across many of its governance, data management, healthcare and nutrition, literacy and welfare initiatives and programmes. Tata Trusts will play a guiding role in setting up of these initiatives and will provide strategic and technical advisory support and oversee the successful execution for all these programmes.

Tata Trusts and the state government initiatives and interventions will be across several areas especially healthcare, nutrition and fortification, governance,education, juvenile justice, etc. Under the aegis of Public Health Department (PHD) and Directorate of Medical Education & Research (DMER), which regulates government colleges in the state, a Strategic Healthcare Advisory Unit (SHAU) will be set up to implement technology backed interventions that improve health and nutrition outcomes, which may also include developing hospital information systems (HIS) and a Medical Supply Corporation

In order to address and other micronutrient (iodine, iron, etc.) related deficiencies and anaemia, Tata Trusts will work with the state government to design a micronutrient deficiency prevention programme and control strategy with a special emphasis on food fortification. In collaboration with the Food Civil Supplies & Consumer Protection (FCS&CP) department, Tata Trusts will focus on arresting malnutrition related indicators through fortification of staple foods that will also strengthen the country’s Public Distribution System (PDS).

The Planning Department and the Tata Trusts will enter into a partnership on data driven governance to design and implement a Model Data Platform that will bring together information related to select indicators and flagship schemes and analyse digital data across several departments. This is envisaged to improve the application of data in planning, implementation and better targeting of government programmes as a significant step towards realising the vision of Digital India.

The Home Department and Tata Trusts, with support from other civil society partners, will implement a pilot demonstration of social work interventions in select central prisons of Maharashtra. This pilot demonstration will include provision of legal aid, health and mental health services as well as opportunities for training and skill upgradation within the prison system itself. The demonstration will be designed and implemented with a view to provide rehabilitative and reformative opportunities for persons within the prison system.

The proposed Nagpur Mental Hospital Reform programme is based on the experience of the INCENSE model supported by the Trusts. It also draws from the recently launched Quality Rights framework of the World Health Organization. A ‘state of the art’ data management system will be developed, which will serve as a prototype for all other psychiatric facilities/ hospitals. In accordance with the Quality Rights Framework, care protocols will be reformed to global standards recovery centric processes as also the quality of infrastructure and living conditions for long-term users.

In association with Mahila Arthik Vikas Mandal (MAVIM) and Maharashtra State Rural Livelihood Mission (MSRLM), the State Women’s Development Corporation and the Nodal agency that implements various women empowerment programmes through Self Help Groups (SHGs), Tata Trusts will implement interventions that improve digital literacy in rural Maharashtra by providing training and enabling access to Internet, as part of the ‘Internet Saathi initiative’ developed jointly with Google.

Government of Maharashtra and Tata Trusts will partner towards strengthening the State Institute of English (SIE) in Aurangabad to become a centre for Excellence with the support of the British Council as the knowledge and training partner. The programme will create a state level resource pool of English teacher trainers at the SIE and along with 250 master trainers across nine districts, support an innovative teacher training program for primary class English teachers. This will set of model of teachers’ continuous professional development across the state which is demand driven and designed to use digital resources in an integrated manner as an alternative to traditional cascade models of training.

Apart from these programmes, Tata Trusts and the state government will also collaborate in several other health care related initiatives such as cancer research and treatment, expansion of a bone marrow registry across the state for treatment of blood disorders, etc. in partnership with several other government, public and private experts from India and globally in related areas

Ratan Tata, Chairman, Tata Trusts said, “We are pleased to partner with the Government of Maharashtra to realise our common vision and endeavour of community development and well being that can only be achieved through focused, innovative and relevant on-ground interventions that would make a real difference to the people.”

Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister, Maharashtra said, “I am confident that our partnership with Tata Trusts will be the beginning of a new era of cooperation between this renowned philanthropic organisation and the State Government of Maharashtra to improve socio-economic indicators of the state. We should leverage our strength to promote more fruitful cooperation in key areas such as nutrition, governance, data management, healthcare, education, and literacy to reinforce welfare initiatives and programmes. I am sure, this partnership for the greater public good, will create a new confidence, among its beneficiaries and will help in bringing change to the current situation to propelling the socio-economic development of Maharashtra to new heights.”

All the above programmes will constitute members from the state-level governance board, directorate of health services, directorate of medical education and research, planning department, home department, etc. as well as senior advisors from Tata Trusts and its ecosystem of partners. Tata Trusts have vast experience in working on a range of thematic areas spanning diverse developmental issues like health, education, media and arts, natural resources and livelihoods and urban poverty across several Indian states.

EH News Bureau