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Tenet group at IITM have taken the first step to ensure that the villagers can access quality information through internet kiosks in a sustainable way. Government of Tamilnadu is trying to use this infrastructure and call it RASI where ever the district administration is able to work with n-Logue.
Kiosks are established in a village by an entrepreneur in the village with the support from n-Logue communications private limited. Minvalai Internet Exchange is a franchisee of n-Logue for Tiruvallur district. The Franchise is a partnership of several alumni of IITs to showcase Tiruvallur as a model district. We consider this a social enterprise and are driving this effort to make this sustainable after hand holding for a few months.
The Kiosk Operators(KO) offer the following services and hope to make a living for themselves.
1. Education
2. Health and Hygiene
3. Livelyhood options.
4. e-governance
5. communication
6. entertainment.
Under education we encourage:
1.Adult literacy in the local language using Tata Consultancy Services software made available free to the Kos. However KOs need to be paid for teaching the adults either by the beneficiary or by a philanthropist.
2. Children club- for children from 2nd grade to 10th grade using the CDs provided in local languages, by Premji foundation.
3. 9,10th grade on line tutorial for Tamilnadu State board syllabus developed by tenet group. Using this for only 3 months last year the pass percentage just about doubled in 6 village schools where this was tried. The children pay is 30/month for this tuition. We welcome donations to support scholarship to those children who cannot afford to pay even this.
4 Computer literacy, Typewriting skills, Spoken English tutorial are other education programs offered by the KO.
Health Delivery:
Using the Video conferencing software developed by IITM, Doctors are offering telemedicine consulting to the villages directly at low cost. They are also willing to organize a mobile clinic that visits these villages regularly to treat the villagers with a follow up consulting on video conferencing. SRMCRI is working with n-logue and Isha foundation to reach to the villages with the doctors doing the technical work and cover the entire district in a pioneering way. Perhaps you can find a way to donate a van for this work that will have satellite Internet connection provided by ISRO. We can conduct medical camp using this van once a month in these villages with the follow up using the internet teleconferencing. You can choose to be a sponsor for one month for 30 villages or one village for 12 months.
Livelyhood:
A cell has been set up by iitm tenet group. Saloni a young ECE graduate is running this. Large volume Typing, translation work or even browsing internet to get about a lakh images for some advertising company was handled by her successfully. She has set up a system to accept orders and execute it with a one point contact for customers, but distributing the work with on line payment to the villagers who have the skill. Your office can out source any low lever large volume work that can be channeled through this network.
In addition we can also train the villagers in low level marketable skills as well as train the villagers to market the product and services produced in the village. We also market the products produced in the villages and try to bring modern agricultural practices also.
We have connected 120 villages in Tiruvallur district. You can become a partner in this district or in 6 states where n-logue is working by taking equity position in the private limited company.
Those in your company who want to visit these villages and make this a success are welcome to write to me about the villages nearest to their residence.