At a time when the poor infrastructure of the state's heath department has been constantly inviting criticism from every nook and corner, a model developed in West Bengal to reduce mortality rate of newborns, has been praised and recognised by the United Nations. The newborn care unit model of the state, known as the Purulia model, would be adopted by the other states to bring down children mortality rate under United Nations Millennium Development Goal-IV (UNMDG-IV). Such states include ~ Orissa, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The project to bring down new born mortality rate in these five states was initiated under the New Norway-India Joint Health Programme to save mothers and children and it would be a part of UNMDG-IV. While preparing the blue print of the project, it was decided that the Purulia model will be followed in these states to achieve the target of low infant mortality rate. On 7 February, Mr Prasanna Hota, director of United Nations Office for Project Services also the director of Norway-India Partnership Initiative (NIPI) wrote a letter to Dr AK Singh, head of neonatalogy department, SSKM hospital, who was involved in developing the Purulia model, and sought his assistance to make the effort successful. In an attempt to reduce the children mortality rate in the rural areas, the state had taken an initiative about five years ago. At that time a group of neonatalogy experts including Dr AK Singh singled out the lack of infrastructure to take care of newborns in the hospitals of the rural areas as the main reason behind high children mortality rate in the state. They developed a cheaper model in Purulia district hospital to take care of sick newborns. This model was later followed in some other districts as well. Now, the state has done well in terms of reducing the infant mortality rate. The children mortality rate in the state is now below the national rate and this success could be dedicated to the Purulia model. When contacted, Dr Singh said it is a matter of pride that a model developed in the state has been recognised. He said that he has been invited to United Nations office in Delhi to discuss the project. The model would be followed in the block and district level hospitals of these five states.