By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 22 Jul: A delegation of Tata Trusts, led by CEO Siddharth Sharma, met Chief Secretary Radha Raturi at the Secretariat, here, today.
Raturi disclosed that, in collaboration with the Uttarakhand Government, Tata Trusts will work in the state in areas such as the health care sector, telemedicine, prevention of malnutrition in women and children, skill development of youth, education of girls, increasing participation of women in the workforce, capacity building and training of Anganwadi workers, smart classes, rural livelihood, migration, vibrant villages, mental health and de-addiction.
Chief Secretary Raturi, while focusing on the priorities and thrust areas of the Uttarakhand Government, requested Tata Trusts to make arrangements for training in skill development at Tata Group’s Skill Development Institutes in various parts of the country including Mumbai, for the youth of Uttarakhand. Also, to work for improvement in the state’s maternal and infant mortality rates.
Raturi also instructed the officials to review the state government’s schemes in various sectors and do a gap analysis, so that Tata Trusts can also address the problem. On the consent of Tata Trusts to work in the field of telemedicine, she instructed the needs of hill districts and blocks should be identified. Along with this, health analysis of each district of Uttarakhand was talked about, under which an analytical report of health facilities, basic medical infrastructure, staff, training, etc., will be prepared in each district. Instructions were also given for a comprehensive study of the state’s health sector through McKinsey. Tata Trusts agreed to cooperate in digitisation of health records in the state.
Chief Secretary Raturi also asked Tata Trusts to work towards strengthening primary and secondary health care services by providing modern health facilities to the population living in remote areas of the state. She emphasised protecting women and children from malnutrition and anemia, strengthening primary and secondary education, and providing quality education, increasing women’s participation in the workforce after higher education and action plan for rural livelihood to stop migration, especially from border villages.
The Chief Secretary also instructed all the departments to keep a report ready by the next meeting on the areas in which assistance can be taken from Tata Trusts.
During the meeting, Tata Trusts CEO Siddharth Sharma spoke about an action plan to provide financial grants to 13 girl toppers from weak socio-economic backgrounds of 13 districts of the state.
Chief Secretary Raturi added that, according to the report released by NITI Aayog, Uttarakhand ranks first in the country in the SDG Index 2023-24. To maintain this position, the state government aims to collaborate with all stakeholders to ensure inclusive development.
Additional Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan, Secretary R Meenakshi Sundaram, officials of all departments and the team of Tata Trusts were also present at the meeting.
