Latest news with #NandGhar
Time of India
06-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
India's new health push needs deeper inclusion
. In a country where nearly every rural household can access basic health infrastructure, one might assume the battle for public health equity is won. Yet, the numbers sober the story by a few notches: Only 65% of households consistently use improved health facilities, with even lower uptake among Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and other marginalised groups. The paradox is clear. Bricks and mortar are in place, but trust, awareness, and access remain fragile. A 2024 scientific study based o n NFHS-5 data underscores this inequality. It found that wealthier households were dramatically more likely — up to 47 times in some cases — to access improved healthcare, even after adjusting for location and education. India's central and eastern regions continue to exhibit the starkest disparities, despite marginal improvement over past survey cycles. The socioeconomic gradient in healthcare access, in short, persists with quiet but deep severity. This divide is more than statistical. Research from urban slums in Kolkata and Bengaluru has shown that generations of deprivation can normalise poor health outcomes and reduce healthcare-seeking behaviour. As a result, even when clinics are built and services are free, utilisation lags unless interventions are grounded in community engagement and led by locally trusted actors. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với sàn môi giới tin cậy IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo . Here, international benchmarks offer both warning and inspiration. UN Sustainable Development Goal 3 calls for universal, equitable health access by 2030, yet UNICEF-WHO data reveals that only 52% of people globally have access to essential health services — and a staggering 70% still lack basic hygiene facilities at home. India mirrors this imbalance: patchy uptake, despite broader infrastructure. In this context, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) emerges not as a stopgap, but as a potential catalyst for lasting change. When rooted in community participation, equity, and sustainability, CSR-led health interventions can extend the state's reach and build social trust. Consider Vedanta's SEHAT initiative, which supports primary health centres (PHCs), conducts menstrual health and addiction awareness camps, and has reached over 11,000 rural patients in Punjab. Household healthcare spending in these areas has dropped by nearly 70%, according to internal assessments. Vedanta's Nand Ghar project, in partnership with the ICDS, leverages telemedicine and mobile health vans to provide maternal and child healthcare in over 6,300 anganwadi centres. The addition of solar-powered borewells and purifiers under Project Nirmal brings a layer of climate resilience. Similarly, Hyundai Motor India Foundation's Sparsh Sanjeevani network of 35 mobile and telemedicine units has served over 1.5 million people across seven states, including in high-altitude areas of Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir. The NTPC Foundation invested Rs 254 crore in FY 2023–24 on health and water projects, impacting 1.6 million people across 581 villages. Other examples stand out for their focus on stigmabusting. Aditya Birla Education Trust's Ujaas initiative runs a mobile van that promotes menstrual hygiene awareness and distributes sanitary pads in collaboration with women-led selfhelp groups. Tata's Aarogyatara programme has enabled 65,000 cataract surgeries and distributed over 37,000 spectacles, targeting preventable blindness. On the prevention and education front, Wipro has strengthened hygiene education in schools, and Olympus Medical Systems India has supported ENT screenings and installed sanitation facilities in schools for over 2,700 children. What these initiatives share is not just funding, but a design philosophy: preventive orientation, vulnerable population targeting, system alignment, and sustainability. These are in line with WHO-UNICEF's 2025 guidelines, which stress rightsbased, locally embedded health delivery. The Times of India CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance)/Social Impact Summit 2025 is expected to provide a platform for further dialogue on gender inclusion.
Time of India
30-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
100 Gadchiroli anganwadis to be converted into ‘Nand Ghars'
Nagpur: In a significant development, 100 anganwadis in Gadchiroli district will be transformed into modern 'Nand Ghars' with e-learning facilities by Vedanta Group's Anil Agarwal Foundation. 'Nand Ghar' is a flagship corporate social responsibility (CSR) project to modernise tribal schools. The 'Nand Ghars' will provide early childhood education and nutritional support to the children in the morning and conduct health and micro-enterprise awareness programmes for women in the afternoon. This innovative initiative is being implemented under the vision of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. To execute this initiative, department of women and child development has facilitated a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Gadchiroli Zilla Parishad and Anil Agarwal Foundation. The MoU was signed by Gadchiroli ZP CEO Suhas Gade, and Shashi Arora, CEO, Nand Ghar, Vedanta. As part of the project, the anganwadis will be upgraded with modern infrastructure. Children aged 3 to 6 will receive pre-primary education and nutritional support in the morning session, while women will participate in afternoon programmes focusing on health awareness and micro-enterprise development. The upgraded anganwadis will cater to nearly 3,900 children aged 0 to 6, along with over 600 pregnant and lactating women. Additionally, 1,134 adolescent girls will receive skill development training in afternoon sessions. This initiative is expected to address health issues in remote areas of Gadchiroli and empower women economically by providing livelihood-oriented training. The govt also plans to scale this initiative across the state. Each upgraded centre will feature colourful, child-friendly interiors and be equipped with basic amenities, including LED TVs for e-learning. Training will also be provided to anganwadi workers on e-learning tools, and to accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers and auxiliary nurse midwives (ANMs) for delivering health services. The ZP will coordinate the project by providing list of eligible anganwadis, appointing district-level nodal officer, overseeing branding, and ensuring regular maintenance. Infrastructure such as water supply, toilets, electricity, and healthcare services will be ensured. A joint working group will be established to monitor and implement the project effectively. This initiative underscores CM's commitment to inclusive growth and highlights his compassionate approach to developmental governance.
