Tata Steel Foundation, Odisha Govt Ink MoU to Transform Informal Settlements
Four-year initiative aims to benefit 2.28 lakh slum households by improving access to welfare schemes and creating inclusive urban habitats.
Bhubaneswar : The Odisha government and Tata Steel Foundation (TSF) have joined hands to address urban inequality through a new partnership that promises to transform informal settlements into inclusive and resilient urban spaces. The Housing and Urban Development Department signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with TSF in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, marking a fresh chapter in collaborative efforts to empower urban slum-dwellers.
Under the new MoU, Tata Steel Foundation will continue to lead the state-level mission management unit and deploy dedicated teams across 10 districts and 19 urban local bodies (ULBs). The agreement will remain effective for four years, during which the initiative will focus on strengthening city-level systems, building institutional capacity, and ensuring that government policy translates into measurable, replicable outcomes on the ground.
Officials said the initiative reflects the government’s vision to make Odisha’s cities more equitable by ensuring that slum households are not excluded from basic services and welfare schemes. By formalizing this partnership, Odisha hopes to create a scalable model of inclusive urban development that can be replicated elsewhere in the country.
The initiative is expected to directly benefit around 2.28 lakh slum households across the state. The approach involves not only providing access to public entitlements such as social security, housing benefits, and welfare schemes but also redesigning informal settlements into well-planned, inclusive habitats.
This transformation, officials believe, will reduce urban inequality by giving slum-dwellers opportunities for improved living standards, resilience against vulnerabilities, and stronger community networks.
The MoU highlights three major focus areas: strengthening city-level governance systems, empowering community institutions, and ensuring the policy-to-practice gap is effectively bridged. Dedicated teams deployed by Tata Steel Foundation will work closely with urban local bodies to streamline service delivery and promote participatory planning.
The long-term goal is to create sustainable and resilient urban systems where informal settlements evolve into integral parts of the city’s social and economic fabric, rather than remaining marginalized.
Chief Executive Officer of Tata Steel Foundation Sourav Roy noted that the organisation has already been working with the state government to improve urban habitats in Odisha. “The MoU marks the commencement of the next phase of this collaboration towards inclusive development of urban slum-dwellers,” Roy said.
According to him, the renewed partnership will help scale up efforts, ensuring that the benefits of development reach vulnerable populations in cities across the state.
Officials believe that this collaboration sets a significant precedent in habitat development by demonstrating how strategic partnerships between governments and private organisations can drive scalable impact in informal settlements. With growing urbanisation in Odisha, the need for inclusive models that integrate slum communities into the broader urban landscape has become more urgent.
The MoU is being seen as a step towards not only reducing poverty but also promoting dignity and resilience among slum households. If successfully implemented, it could serve as a model for other states facing similar challenges of urban inequality.
While the immediate focus will be on unlocking access to welfare schemes and improving settlement conditions, the initiative also aims at long-term transformation. By empowering community-based institutions, strengthening municipal systems, and ensuring accountability in service delivery, the project envisions creating self-sustaining, inclusive urban ecosystems.
Over the next four years, the partnership between Odisha government and Tata Steel Foundation could redefine how informal settlements are perceived—not as liabilities to be managed but as integral contributors to the growth and dynamism of urban life.
For the 2.28 lakh slum households set to benefit, the MoU offers hope for a future where their neighborhoods are better integrated, their living standards are improved, and their voices are heard in shaping the cities they call home.
