Signs four MoUs, as part of ‘Maha Parivartan’, to provide technical and implementation support across Maharashtra
Piramal Foundation, signed four Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with Government of Maharashtra, to improve healthcare and access to safe drinking water, as part of the ‘Maha Parivartan’ initiative that aims to transform the state of Maharashtra. Through this initiative, the Government of Maharashtra will collaborate with multiple organisations in diverse sectors, that include water conservation, rural and agriculture development, road safety, public health, sanitation and nutrition, amongst others.
Commenting on the initiative, Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra said, “The sectors that our government has selected for the ‘Maha Parivartan’ have one common objective – enabling the farmer, the common man and the marginalised (especially women and children), to be healthy, safe, secure and prosperous. One of the focus areas of the Government of Maharashtra is water conservation, that entails village level planning, including water budgeting to ensure optimum utilisation of water, especially for drinking purposes. This is a noble endeavour for the under-served. We are indeed happy that these positive impact-oriented organisations have taken up the challenge to bridge the last mile gap, and collaborate with us in these areas. This concrete and concerted approach will definitely move up the development needle, at a faster pace.”
Paresh Parasnis, CEO, Piramal Foundation said, “We are pleased to partner with the Government of Maharashtra on its ‘Maha Parivartan’ initiative. Convergence is a key driver for India to achieve its Strategic Development Goals. The Government of Maharashtra has been one of the more proactive Governments to have envisioned its holistic development, through Public Private Partnerships (PPP). This innovative PPP model of collaboration will certainly accelerate and enable the cause for preventive health services and availability of safe drinking water across the state of Maharashtra.”
As per the first MoU, Piramal Swasthya, the healthcare initiative of Piramal Foundation, along with the Public Health Department of Government of Maharashtra, will set up a Technical Support Unit (TSU) for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). This TSU will provide technical support to the Public Health Department, to define processes for early diagnosis, management and treatment of common NCDs, capacity building at various levels of healthcare for prevention, palliative and rehabilitative care in Maharashtra.
As part of the second MoU, Piramal Swasthya will collaborate with the Municipal Corporations of Pune, Nashik and Greater Mumbai, to improve the delivery and uptake of health services, through Mobile Medical Units (MMUs) and Clinics. Currently, Piramal Swasthya operates six MMUs and one Static Clinic, in partnership with Shriram Transport Finance Company Ltd., and Ujjivan Financial Services Ltd. The beneficiaries will be referred to the nearest Government hospitals for secondary and tertiary care, as and when needed.
According to the third MoU, Piramal Sarvajal, the safe drinking water initiative of Piramal Foundation, will set up a Technical Support Unit (TSU) for Village Social Transformation Foundation (VSTF), to enable effective last-mile service provision. This will include providing required tools for needs assessment, training of Self Help Groups (SHGs) on service economics and daily operations of safe drinking water installations, to create processes that support the viability of this intervention, and to build a scalable model.
As per the fourth MoU, Piramal Sarvajal along with Nagpur Smart City, will set up a Technical Support Unit (TSU) to conduct needs assessment studies across eight slums of Nagpur. This study will include the current water source, its quality and reliability, challenges and prevailing health issues in the communities. Post this, the TSU will engage with stakeholders to design a customised solution to implement safe drinking water project in these areas.