India to get its first bone marrow registry

The Maharashtra government and the Tata Trust have mutually agreed to improve the state's social development parameters. The agreement was announced by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Tata Trust chairman Ratan Tata on Thursday. It included services related to medicine, district planning, nutritional food, education, women empowerment and improvement jails, among others.

Among the initiatives related to the medical field was a plan to establish a national cancer grid, in which Maharashtra's government and medical colleges will be included, to look at the most advanced treatment practices for cancer.

Also, for the first time in the country, a bone marrow registry will be created through government instruments. These measures are expected to make major changes in the way treatment is given to the patients of blood cancer, thalassemia and other threatening diseases. In the next three years, the grid will provide for 50,000 donors will be identified..

In addition, a food fortification plan will be worked out to tackle the problem of malnutrition. A strategic advisory unit will be set up to provide technical assistance and manpower to the public health department and health education department. Similarly for mental illness, a hospital will be converted to the Centre of Excellence in Nagpur. It will also be the country's first.

Plans are also afoot to improve digital literacy among women in rural areas through Internet Sathi. Under the programme, 300 women will be educated, who in turn will reach out to 1,200 villages. In another first, as a pilot project in five central jails, 10,000 inmates will be given legal aid, mental health services and training in skill upgrade within the prison system itself.