Azim Premji appreciates Odisha's effort in reducing IMR

BHUBANESWAR: Wipro chairman and well-known philanthropist Azim Premji on Tuesday delivered the 15th lecturer of the Odisha Knowledge Hub lecturer series at the state Secretariat.

Speaking on the issue that government and philanthropic institutions working together for social change, Premji said philanthropic organisations have to build up an environment of trust and have to exhibit their commitment through work.

The Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiatives (APPI), instituted by Premji, also jointly works with the state government for reducing malnutrition among women and children in the state.

“The philanthropic and government bodies together have to institutionalise the developmental and service delivery initiatives for making those sustainable,” Premji said.

He also opined that since government system is the largest and permanent system, philanthropic initiatives need to be mainstreamed through alignment with governmental efforts.

The Wipro chairman also met chief minister Naveen Patnaik and congratulated him for progress made in improving health condition of women in past one decade. He also appreciated the state government’s effort in reduction of infant mortality rate from 65 per cent in 2005-06 to 40 per cent in 2015-16.