Odisha and MSSRF Sign Five-Year MoU to Advance Sustainable and Inclusive Development
The Government of Odisha and the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 10 November 2026, marking the start of a strategic partnership to shape the state’s development priorities. The agreement was signed through the Office of the Development Commissioner-cum-Additional Chief Secretary, Planning & Convergence Department, in the presence of the Chief Secretary and the Development Commissioner-cum-Additional Chief Secretary.
Under the MoU, the Government of Odisha and MSSRF will jointly develop a comprehensive policy framework and an implementation programme aligned with the state’s developmental vision. The collaboration will focus on agrobiodiversity, nutrition and health, gender justice, ecological sustainability, and the sustainable management and use of natural resources.
Working closely with eight departments of the Odisha government, MSSRF will promote agroecological farming, transformation of food systems, and enhance the livelihoods of tribal and rural communities, while advancing the broader concept of Biohappiness – a term coined by Prof. Swaminathan to emphasise the importance of conserving biodiversity in ways that enhance human health, nutrition, and livelihoods. Beyond shaping policy, the MoU positions MSSRF as the state’s technical knowledge partner. In this role, MSSRF will support the participating departments with research, programme design, capacity building, and the scaling up of promising innovations. On the ground, it will include work on millets and traditional seeds, women-led enterprises under the state’s Subhadra First approach, and Biohappiness Centres at agricultural universities. In fisheries, the partnership will help strengthen the Fisher Friend mobile app and create value-added opportunities for women entrepreneurs. In wetlands, mangroves, and coastal areas prone to distress migration, the focus will be on local livelihoods, skills, and enterprises run by women’s self-help groups. A Steering Committee chaired by the Development Commissioner, with departmental secretaries and MSSRF representatives as members, will review progress at regular intervals.
This partnership plays an important step toward an integrated, multi-sectoral approach to sustainable and inclusive development in Odisha, with a special focus on improving the well-being and livelihoods of tribal and rural communities through the principles of Biohappiness.