A State-Level Orientation Meeting on the Arogya Sangama initiative was held on April 5, 2025, at the Karnataka Panchayat Raj Commissionerate (KPRC) in Bengaluru. The meeting was chaired by Smt. Uma Mahadevan, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary and Development Commissioner, Department of Rural Development & Panchayat Raj (RDPR), Government of Karnataka, alongside Dr. Arundhati Chandrashekar, IAS, Commissioner, KPRC; Smt. Vani, Deputy Secretary (Development), DoRDPR; and Dr. Srinivasa GA, Joint Director, Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD), Department of Health and Family Welfare. Other key dignitaries present included Dr. C.H. Vasundhara Devi, Consultant, RDPR – Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan; Smt. Mona Roat, IAS, CEO, Chamarajanagar; Sri Pandve Rahul Tukaram, IAS, CEO, Raichur; Sri Mohan HL, CEO, KHPT; and Dr. Shalini Singh, Senior Researcher, Johns Hopkins University – India (JHU India).

KHPT and JHU played a pivotal role in facilitating the orientation. Mr. Mohan HL, CEO of KHPT, addressed the gathering and commended the Arogya Sangama initiative as a timely and strategic approach to strengthening community-led health governance. Dr. Swaroop N from KHPT shared insights from exploratory research, baseline assessments, and Human-Centred Design (HCD) exercises, emphasising the need for context-specific interventions and the active involvement of communities in defining health priorities. Dr. Shalini Singh from JHU India presented the Arogya Sangama Implementation Framework, outlining key interventions such as the reconstitution of Gram Panchayat Task Forces (GPTFs), perspective-building sessions, training programs, and supportive supervision mechanisms. Subsequently, Dr. Vidyacharan Malve (KHPT) and Ms. Deeksha Khurana (JHU India) detailed the Arogya Sangama process flow and presented the digital toolkit designed for implementation. Also, explained the toolkit’s features, its application in the field, and how dashboard-based data is generated for planning and monitoring. Ms. Poornima BS from KHPT concluded the technical session by presenting the implementation timeline up to May 2026, and shared a district-specific action planning roadmap, stressing the importance of documenting early learnings from the 15 pilot Gram Panchayats to inform evidence-based scale-up.

The meeting witnessed active participation from Deputy Secretaries of Zilla Panchayats of Chamarajanagar and Raichur, and Executive Officers of Taluk Panchayats from Kollegala, Hanur, and Devadurga. Key health officials, including District Health and Family Welfare Officers (DHFWOs), District Surveillance Officers (DSOs), Taluk Health Officers (THOs), and ASHA Mentors from the respective taluks, also took part. In addition, Nodal Officers from Health and Wellness Centres (Ayushman Arogya Mandirs) and Assistant Directors of MGNREGA from Kollegala, Hanur, and Devadurga attended the session.

Panchayat Development Officers (PDOs) from the 15 pilot Gram Panchayats in Chamarajanagar—Madhuvanahalli, Siddaianapura, Kunagalli Dinnalli, Ramapura, Ajmipura, Dodda Alathur, and Suleripalya—and in Raichur—Amarapura, Chinchodi, Jalahalli, Karadigudda, Dondambi, Karigudda, and Koppara—were present and engaged throughout the proceedings.

The orientation meeting marked a significant step forward in strengthening decentralized health governance and ensuring multi-sectoral convergence for improved health outcomes in rural Karnataka.