Mumbai: The State government on Wednesday signed multiple agreements with leading corporate houses, who committed to investing ₹335 crore for social development in villages.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis called the public-private partnership (PPP) a ‘historic’ occasion, saying 34 memorandums of understanding (MoU) were signed, including Tata Trust, Tata Chemicals, Tata Power, Aditya Birla Foundation and the ATE Foundation.
Government officers said most of the projects will deal with water conservation, waste treatment and could benefit up to 75 lakh villagers. They said 31,000 water tanks will be constructed across the State. “This is a historic day as numerous social projects got momentum today. This is the best way to serve the nation, and I express my gratitude and my congratulations to all who are part of this massive ‘village social transformation mission’,” Mr. Fadnavis said.
However, activists claimed most corporates are still in ‘charity mode’ and don’t conduct scientific studies before implementing PPP schemes. They cite the example of the Central government’s village development scheme under the 14th Finance Commission, which has not taken off due to lack of homework and effort by the government.
Tribal activist Milind Thatte said, “These same corporate houses, when doing business, conduct a lot of scientific and background studies. This is not done when they start village schemes under the PPP model. The government must also create an enabling environment when undertaking such a top-down approach to village social transformation.”
Big names, big money
The village social transformation mission MoUs were signed mostly in the healthcare, education, animal care and water conservation sectors. In one such partnership, the Aditya Birla Group committed to invest ₹3 crore for the development of Gadchiroli district. The cheque for the amount was handed over to Mr. Fadnavis by Rajashree Birla. “This is a very important step towards increasing the pace of development in rural areas, where farm distress is on the rise due to non-sustainability. We need more focus on water conservation, and work is also needed for better food and nutritional facilities for tribal students,” he said.
Some projects include a regional mental hospital in Nagpur by the Tata Trust, an elderly care programme at Chandrapur and implementation of the Jal Yukta Shivar in Akola, Yavatmal and Amravati districts.
