Nagpur, January 20, 2026:

Central Mine Planning & Design Institute (CMPDI), Regional Institute–IV, Nagpur, and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Nagpur, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to launch Project “ध्वनि”, a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative to provide free cochlear implant surgery and rehabilitation to hearing-impaired children.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Dr. Prashant P. Joshi, Executive Director, AIIMS Nagpur, and Shri Nripendra Nath, Director (T/RD&T), CMPDI RI-IV, in the presence of senior officials from both the institutions. The dignitaries present included Shri Rajesh Ralhan, Regional Director, CMPDI RI-IV; Dr. Manish Shrigiriwar, Nodal Officer – AB-PMJAY & MJPJAY, AIIMS Nagpur; Shri Shantanu Shrivastava, Head of Department (HR), CMPDI RI-IV; Shri Sunil Jadala, Manager (HR), CMPDI RI-IV; Shri Siddhartha Verma, Deputy Manager (HR), CMPDI RI-IV; Dr. Nilesh Nagdeve, Medical Superintendent, AIIMS Nagpur; Dr. Vijay Bidkar, Professor & Head, Department of ENT; Dr. Nitin Marathe, Joint Medical Superintendent & Nodal Officer – CSR; Shri Himanshu R. Saxena, Deputy Manager (Finance Executive), CMPDI RI-IV; and Shri Gaurav Sharma, Manager (Geology), CMPDI RI-IV.

Dr. Prashant P. Joshi, Executive Director, AIIMS Nagpur, commended the initiative for serving underprivileged children. He emphasized that Project “ध्वनि” will support pre-lingual children up to 7 years from BPL and EWS families ineligible for schemes like MJPJAY or AB-PMJAY, with implementation at AIIMS Nagpur

In India, nearly 3% of children suffer from congenital sensorineural hearing loss, which adversely affects speech and language development if untreated. Although cochlear implantation is a proven treatment, only about 7% of eligible children receive it due to high costs. Project “ध्वनि” aims to bridge this gap.

CMPDI will fully sponsor the treatment, covering implant cost, surgery, and consumables. The total project cost is ₹65.5 lakh, benefiting 13 children, with ₹5 lakh per child. The project will be implemented in phases—3 beneficiaries in FY 2025–26 and 10 beneficiaries in FY 2026–27. Beneficiaries will be selected by a joint committee of CMPDI RI-IV and AIIMS Nagpur to ensure transparency and medical eligibility.