Bhubaneswar: Tata Steel Foundation has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Housing & Urban Development (H&UD) Department to promote inclusive and livable urban habitats in informal settlements.
This strategic collaboration aims to reduce urban inequality by unlocking public entitlements and establishing scalable models for inclusive habitat development.
The MoU was signed in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi during the State-level celebration of Local Self-Governance Day at Rail Auditorium in Bhubaneswar. The event was attended by Usha Padhee, Principal Secretary, H&UD; Arindam Dakua, Director of Municipal Administration; and other senior government officials. Sourav Roy, Chief Executive Officer, signed the MoU on behalf of Tata Steel Foundation.
This partnership builds upon a successful collaboration initiated in November 2022. Since then, it has positively impacted over 1.34 lakh slum households across five municipal corporations by improving tenure security, access to basic services, and living conditions.
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.
This partnership and the subsequent extension of the project will help boost Tata Steel’s presence in Odisha. Additionally, it will enable the Foundation to leverage its expertise in working with last-mile communities and significantly enhance social impact efforts across urban slums in Odisha.
