Mira is now principal investigator in a collective independent and multidisciplinary research initiative called the Jeeva Project to study the relevance of indigenous midwives (Dais) and their skilled traditions in four regional sites in Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Himachal Pradesh. The Jeeva Study now in progress looks at the field realities from dual Public Health and local Knowledge Systems perspectives in the broader context of the Government's National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). The project aims to influence the holistic development of stronger, more effective and woman-friendly community childbirth care services. The project goes into it's reporting, dissemination and advocacy phase in mid-2014.       The current study is uniquely co-funded by the AYUSH Dept (MoHFW) and the ICICI Foundation for Inclusive Growth (IFIG) and the grant funds are administered by the Centre for Women's Development Studies (CWDS), Delhi.