Government of Maharashtra and Tata Trusts strengthen their collaborations by leveraging the potential of Bamboo and development planning in Chandrapur  

January 06, 2017, Mumbai: The Government of Maharashtra and Tata Trusts have strengthened the work they are doing in Maharashtra by signing a Memorandum of Understanding to develop the Bamboo Research and Training Center (BRTC) in order to establish a one-of-its kind Center of Excellence for Bamboo. The event was attended by Mr. Sudhir Mugantiwar, Cabinet Minister of Finance, Planning, and Forest Departments, Government of Maharashtra; Shri. Hansraj Gangaram Ahir, Minister of State – Home Affairs, Government of Maharashtra; Mr. Ratan Tata, Chairman, Tata Trusts; Mr. R. Venkataramanan, Managing Trustee, Tata Trusts; V Giriraj, Principal Secretary, Rural Development, Government of Maharashtra; and other eminent dignitaries. An exciting new dashboard that will assist data driven decision-making was a key highlight of the event. They launched the Chandrapur data dashboard as part of the Tata Trusts microplanning initiative known as ‘DELTA’ – Data, Evaluation, Learning, Technology and Advancement, under the Data Driven Governance programme.

A slew of announcements and launches were made at this mega event including the launch of ‘Bamboo Board Policy Recommendations’ by Bamboo Board, launch of the ‘Chandrapur Coffee Table Book’, distribution of ‘Baby Healthcare Kits’ and a walkthrough of the BRTC.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Sudhir Mugantiwar, Cabinet Minister of Finance, Planning, and Forest Departments, Government of Maharashtra, said, “Charity is a work of virtue but building capacity providing the opportunity for people to be self-sustained by way of philanthropic programmes is an act of greater virtue. Tata Trusts has provided assistance for creating the dashboard of statistical data which will help in implementing a micro finance model in the district. Chandrapur will become the next model village in the coming 2 years with support from Mr. Tata and an organization like Tata Trusts. We thank Tata Trusts in providing their expertise and technical & sectoral knowledge in making these projects successful.”

Speaking at the event, Mr. Ratan Tata, Chairman, Tata Trusts, said, “I am happy to be here in Chandrapur today but more importantly I am thankful for the opportunity that Tata Trusts has got to make a difference in the state. Tata Trusts is very pleased to partner with the Government of Maharashtra to work on ‘Bamboo Research and Training Centre (BRTC)’, create a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Bamboo, and for the data driven governance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised everyone a new India and I believe that Chandrapur has the potential to be a role model in supporting that initiative. Tata Trusts has received immense support from the Government of Maharashtra and the State Finance Minister, Shri Sudhir Mungantiwar. Together, we will work towards building a progressive Chandrapur.”

Commenting on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for BRTC, Shri Sudhir Mugantiwar, said, “Tata Trusts will work with the Government of Maharashtra to develop the overall vision for BRTC in Chandrapur, provide project management support and also provide technical support to ensure high quality architectural output. The Center of Excellence will be one of the best and biggest in Asia.” He added, “Tata Trusts is also supporting in setting a bamboo stick making unit as a part of the Gadchiroli Agarbatti Project, which will benefit us in generating huge amount of employment round the year.”

Speaking about the Tata Trusts dashboard at the event, Shri Sudhir Mungantiwar, said, “With the launch of the Tata Trusts dashboard, Chandrapur becomes one of the first districts in the country to adopt data driven governance in order to ensure equitable distribution of rights to the communities. Some of the direct outcomes of the initiative include the access and distribution of LPG connection to beneficiaries. The reference and analytics of number of households without gas kits was taken from the microplanning exercise that was undertaken in Chandrapur.”

To maintain the biodiversity of the area, and to stop felling of trees by the tribal communities, the Government of Maharashtra aims to give 100% gas kits to people living in the forest buffer and core areas before 2017. As a starter, Shri Sudhir Mungantiwar and Mr. Ratan Tata graciously handed over the LPG gas kits to beneficiaries at the event.

Speaking at the event, Minister of State – Home Affairs, Government of Maharashtra, Shri. Hansraj Gangaram Ahir, said, “I thank the Finance Minister, Shri Sudhir Mugantiwar and Shri Ratan Tata for their enormous support in skill development in the district.”

Speaking at the event, Mr. R Venkatramanan, Managing Trustee, Tata Trusts, said, “We have been proactively working with the Government of Maharashtra since the last couple of years. We are already working on a number of projects across multiple sectors in Maharashtra and we are looking forward to collaborating on many more.”

Referring to the baby healthcare kits that were also handed out at the event, Shri Sudhir Mungantiwar, said, “We have handed over baby healthcare kits to the beneficiaries today. This projects plans to give 1000 kits to new born babies born after October 1, 2016 in Chandrapur.”

The kits, comprising baby beds, mosquito net, baby blanket, baby dress and other baby care products shampoo, soap, powder and oil, were handed over in the presence of Mr. Tata to the beneficiaries at the event.

Beneficiaries were also given a Forest Rights Certificate by Shri Sudhir Mugnatiwar and Mr. Ratan Tata. With a community forest rights certificate, tribal communities can now avail schemes and benefits of the government; these can also be availed by beneficiaries. These benefits were not given to the tribal community earlier as there was no certificate stating the ownership of the land.

The event also saw stalls showcasing the Gadchiroli Agarbatti Project and the Bamboo project along with different forms of tribal performances; and was attended by 6000 people across Chandrapur.