Dikhyaa Mohanty 
The Housing & Urban Development (H&UD) Department and the Tata Steel Foundation have inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance livable and inclusive urban environments in informal settlements. Through the establishment of scalable methods for inclusive habitat development and the unlocking of public entitlements, this strategic partnership seeks to eliminate urban inequality.
At the State-level celebration of Local Self-Governance Day at the Rail Auditorium in Bhubaneswar, the Memorandum of Understanding was signed in front of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. Principal Secretary of H&UD Usha Padhee, Director of Municipal Administration Arindam Dakua, and other high-ranking government officials attended the ceremony. On behalf of the Tata Steel Foundation, Chief Executive Officer Sourav Roy signed the Memorandum of Understanding. This relationship expands on a fruitful engagement that was started in November 2022. Since then, it has improved living conditions, access to essential services, and tenure security for more over 1.34 lakh slum residents in five municipal corporations.
On the occasion, Sourav Roy said, “Tata Steel Foundation has been working closely with the Government of Odisha to bring transformative impact to urban habitats across the state. The MoU signed today marks the beginning of the next phase of this collaboration, aimed at enabling urban slum dwellers to realize their rights and making cities overall more resilient. This builds on the dedicated efforts of our teams over the past few years and reflects Tata Steel Foundation’s commitment to designing and implementing models of change in Odisha. These efforts bring real and positive change to vulnerable communities while serving as templates for social impact and public-private collaboration. We remain grateful to the communities, partners, and the Government of Odisha for their belief in us.”
Under the new MoU, the Foundation will continue the State-level Mission Management Unit and deploy dedicated teams across 10 districts and 19 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). The initiative is expected to directly benefit approximately 2.28 lakh slum households by enabling access to social welfare schemes and transforming informal settlements into inclusive, resilient urban habitats.
Effective for a period of four years, the MoU reinforces Odisha’s commitment to inclusive urban development by aligning government leadership with corporate implementation capacity. It aims to strengthen city-level systems, empower community institutions, and translate policy intent into measurable, replicable outcomes. The collaboration sets a precedent for transformative habitat development, demonstrating how strategic partnerships can drive scalable impact in informal urban settlements.
