Five-Year partnership to boost livelihoods, healthcare, clean energy, skills and entrepreneurship across six districts

 

THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

BHUBANESWAR, SEPTEMBER 21, 2026

In a significant step towards accelerating inclusive and sustainable development in Southern Odisha, the Government of Odisha and SELCO Foundation on Monday signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen livelihoods, healthcare, clean energy, skills, entrepreneurship and climate-resilient development across six districts.

The collaboration, signed in the presence of Chief Secretary Smt. Anu Garg, will initially focus on Kalahandi, Rayagada, Gajapati, Koraput, Nabarangpur and Malkangiri. The MoU aims to complement and strengthen existing government schemes through technical expertise, innovation, technology, capacity building, partnerships and implementation support.

The MoU was signed by Girish S.N., Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water Department, and V.K. Joby, Chief Finance Officer, SELCO Foundation.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Secretary Anu Garg described the partnership as an important step towards building a more prosperous, healthy and equitable Odisha.

 “This is an important step towards prosperity, well-being and equality,” the Chief Secretary said.

She said that the vision of Vikshit Odisha 2036 and Vikshit Bharat 2047 rests on three key pillars—prosperity, well-being and equity. Healthy human resources, equal opportunities and inclusive development, she noted, are essential for achieving sustained prosperity.

 “Health and equality are the two inseparable foundations of prosperity,” the Chief Secretary said, emphasising the need for coordinated action across these three dimensions to create a prosperous, healthy and equal-opportunity-based Odisha.

A major thrust of the partnership will be strengthening livelihoods and local economic opportunities for farmers, women, Self-Help Groups (SHGs), Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), youth, artisans, tribal communities, persons with disabilities and rural micro-entrepreneurs.

The initiative will promote access to skills, productive-use technologies, finance and government schemes, while also supporting market linkages and value addition to enhance income-generating opportunities at the grassroots level.

The collaboration will also focus on healthcare and nutrition, clean energy, climate-resilient development, tribal knowledge and innovation, skill development and entrepreneurship.

A key feature of the partnership will be the proposed SEVA Hubs — Centres for Expertise and Enablers for Rural Transformation.

These locally anchored platforms are envisaged as centres that will identify local needs and support programme design, convergence of schemes, capacity building, access to technology and finance, implementation support, knowledge management and scaling up of successful solutions.

The partnership will involve close coordination with the Panchayati Raj, Health and other relevant departments, along with district administrations, ensuring that government programmes are strengthened through convergence, innovation, technology and institutional capacity building.

Chief Secretary Garg directed that the progress of programmes related to the partnership under the Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department be reviewed every month, while review meetings at the Chief Secretary's level will be conducted twice a year.

The MoU will remain in force for five years, with specific projects and initiatives to be developed separately based on local requirements and priorities.

Former NITI Aayog CEO B.V.R. Subrahmanyam and SELCO Foundation authority Harish Hande also participated virtually in the meeting.

By bringing together community participation, government programmes, technology, innovation and technical expertise, the partnership seeks to create new avenues for sustainable livelihoods and inclusive development while addressing the diverse needs of communities across Southern Odisha.