PATNA, Feb. 14 -- The Bihar government on Friday renewed its memorandum of cooperation (MoC) with the Gates Foundation for another five years, extending a partnership in place since 2010 and aimed at strengthening public health systems and accelerating progress toward the sustainable development goals (SDGs) by 2030. The renewed agreement, effective from April 2026, was signed at the old secretariat assembly hall in the presence of deputy chief minister Samrat Chaudhary and health minister Mangal Pandey. Chief secretary Pratyaya Amrit signed on behalf of the state government, while Archana Vyas, India director of the Gates Foundation, represented the foundation. Congratulating the health department on the renewal, Chaudhary said that the state remains committed to improving citizens' quality of life and welcomed the continuation of technical support from the foundation, said a communique from the health minister's office on Friday. "The cooperation will accelerate Bihar's progress towards achieving the SDG by 2030 and help take the state's development to new heights," he said. . Health minister Pandey said that Bihar has made substantial gains in health and development indicators, noting that maternal and infant mortality rates have nearly halved since 2011. He said the partnership would help consolidate these gains by improving technical capacity, expanding service reach and strengthening implementation in remote areas. Among the significant achievements in the health sector, the state's maternal mortality rate (MMR) has declined to 104, with a target of reducing it to 70 in line with SDG-2030, Institutional deliveries have risen to 76.2% (NFHS-5) and full immunisation coverage has reached 93%, the press release said. Pandey said the state aims to ensure every family has access to quality healthcare and to reinforce Bihar's standing as a leading state on key public health parameters. The CS said the collaboration goes beyond programme implementation and will focus on institutional capacity building. and boosting administrative systems....