The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has signed a pact with Mumbai-based Tata Trusts, under which the trust will provide technical support to speed up the development process of the Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra.
The pact has been signed as part of the Centre's Aspirational Districts Programme launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January, under which 115 districts have been identified and are being encouraged to catch up with the ‘best’ districts within their respective States on 49 different development performance indicators.
As per this plan, the Tata Trusts will deploy two trained researchers or ‘Development Fellows’ to the district, who will assist the local administration in implementing government as well as non-governmental development projects in a cohesive manner. A statement from the Tata Trusts on Thursday said that its engagement in Gadchiroli will be similar to its ongoing participation in the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and other rural upliftment programmes in the State.
Gadchiroli is situated in the south-eastern part of Maharashtra and is known for its dense forests. The district has seen sporadic violence due to the presence of left-wing extremism, which affects access to official development programmes in some parts.