 Microsoft, IDRC launch Rural Innovation Fund
Microsoft India, under its sustainable and self-reliant rural market initiative, Project Saksham, announced in Chennai the launch of the Rural Innovation Fund.
The fund, set up in partnership with IDRC's telecentre.org initiative at the 3rd annual meeting of the M S Swaminathan-led Mission 2007, will help local software application development vendors in smaller towns to create and provide localised applications and solutions customised for the needs of the rural communities. It will initially focus on verticals like telemedicine, education and agriculture, areas which are of maximum interest to the rural communities.
The fund is a collaborative effort between Microsoft and IDRC, a Canadian development organisation, and will be managed by a committee set up under Mission 2007, comprising eminent people from the industry, academia and government. The programme committee will choose the various applications for the programmes in the next 6 months.
The Rural Innovation Fund will have a two-pronged benefit. It will empower the local software industry by promoting individual or organisational endeavours towards low-cost innovative applications and at the same time enable the development of rural applications in the following areas:
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Fostering ICT-based entrepreneurship for youth in the rural areas
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Learning systems or skill development interventions via ICT forrural communities to enhance livelihood opportunities
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Improve healthcare delivery systems
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Specific applications for physically challenged and the disabled
community
Commenting on the initiative, Ravi Venkatesan, chairman, Microsoft India, said, "We are confident that this will generate a new generation of local IT entrepreneurs who will build localised and customised solutions for rural communities. The Rural Innovation Fund is yet another step in the direction of empowering people to achieve their potential."
Prof M S Swaminathan, chairman, Swaminathan Foundation, added, "Microsoft and IDRC have taken tremendous initiatives to bring technology closer to the marginalised sections of society, especially the rural communities who could immensely benefit by the proper utilisation of technology. I am confident that the launch of this Fund will create an entire network of rural IT entrepreneurs who would develop local software specific to the needs of the rural communities. It will lead to an entrepreneurship revolution in rural India and will help to retain educated youth in villages."
Commenting on IDRC's partnership, Dr Basheerhamad Shadrach, Senior Programme Officer, International Development Research (IDRC), and secretary, Mission 2007, said, "We are excited to be a part of the Innovation Fund which will create
IT solutions for the rural areas and help build localised solutions for them. We look forward to this partnership with Microsoft towards enabling the rural ecosystem for building IT solutions for them. The idea is to scale innovations across networks."
Project Saksham
'Saksham', through its four levers of innovative business models, public private partnership, localised content and affordable solutions will address the issues that have so far affected the uptake of IT in the rural segment - be it the lack of infrastructure and connectivity, or of affordable and relevant IT services and solutions. The initiative also effectively addresses concerns regarding the economic viability of existing kiosk models.
'Saksham' has been developed in close consultation with industry partners and imbibes the principles of public-private partnership to create a sustainable economic model and a strong rural IT ecosystem. 'Saksham' will not only provide local entrepreneurs with the opportunity to set up and manage these kiosks for content and services but also provide the local ISV (independent software vendor) community with the opportunity to develop rural content and applications. The rural portal which is under development currently, will bring all of these services together in a comprehensive manner at the front end, and provide a seamless experience to the end-user.
R Rangaraj
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