June 1-3, 2001
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Organized by Digital Partners,
Vidya Pratishthan's Institute of
Information Technology (VIIT),
and the James Martin Company,
and sponsored by the World Bank,
the "Achieving Connectivity
for the Poor in India"
conference was held to develop
initiatives and processes
designed to harness the use of
information technologies to
support sustainable, rural
development and poverty
reduction in India.
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Initially conceived at the Digital
Partners Seattle conference, Seeking
Solutions to the Digital Divide, held in
parallel with the WTO Ministerial Meeting
there in late 1999, the Baramati
conference similarly brought together IT
professionals and entrepreneurs with a
desire for social change, social
entrepreneurs with a desire to use and
harness the power of IT to help alleviate
poverty, politicians and policy-makers
from the local, regional and national
levels, venture capitalists and
representatives of local and international
financial institutions, respected
academics, and representatives of the poor
themselves from different communities in
the country. (Click here for a list of
participating speakers and panelists.)
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We are very pleased to announce
that by the closing ceremonies,
the following commitments were
announced:
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| 1. |
A Baramati Social Venture Fund
has been formally established
with the objective of raising
$50 million over the next five
years, in support of socially
responsible IT efforts. Digital
Partners will lead the effort to
raise $250,000 to be given out
next year (first round of
awards). MIT Media Lab Asia and
individuals at the conference
have committed $140,000 towards
this effort. (Click here to read
an article on this initiative in
the Economic Times.)
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| 2. |
An annual Baramati Innovation
Marketplace and Conference will
take place on the first weekend
in June to bring together social
innovators using IT from all
over the country and possibly
the sub-region, to interact,
discuss and present their
proposals in a marketplace
format to their peers and
potential investors/funders.
VIIT and Digital Partners will
continue to host these events.
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| 3. |
An annual Baramati
Innovator Award is being
established to recognize and honor
a individual that has contributed
the most to promoting innovative
uses of IT for socially
responsible development. A prize
of $5,000 has been established.
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| 4. |
An annual Baramati
Student Innovation Awards has been
established to benefit IT students
from rural institutions for the 3
most innovative proposals for use
of IT to help the rural poor
through socially responsible
development. Total of $5,000 will
be shared among the winners.
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Proceedings and Next Steps:
Following a spirited opening address by
the Hon. Pramod Mahajan, Minister of
Information Technology, (see picture)
during which he exhorted the participants
to address the issues of content, cost and
connectivity, conference sessions
addressed: 1) developing appropriate
content for the poor; 2) providing access
and connectivity; 3) the economics of
access centers; 4) sustainable financing
for rural networks; and 5) creating
linkages with the private sector for
scaling innovations.
Later, Mr. Motoo Kusakabe, VP, Resource
Mobilization and Co. financing of the
World Bank, delivered a streamed video
address that framed the scope of the
action plans developed and described the
role the World Bank could play in moving
the connectivity agenda forward within the
year.
The generous collaboration among the
various stakeholders gathered from the
private sector, NGOs, and multi- and
bi-lateral institutions permitted the
Baramati workshop to propose the following
as concrete actions for follow-up and
implementation in the coming months:
| 1. |
Establishment of a Baramati
Initiatives Social Venture Fund,
promoted by Digital Partners,
which would serve as both an
Incubator and Expansion Fund for
social entrepreneurs to move
their development forward until
they are in a position to
attract the support of a wider
range of venture capitalists,
individual and institutional
investors, and financial
institutions. A web-based
mechanism will be developed to
vet proposals and to deliver
support services, including
mentoring by leading
entrepreneurs, IT experts, and
relevant institutions. The
design will be based on the
innovative "ecomlink.org"
website, the World Resources
Institution's Enterprise Forum,
Digital Partners' Solution Lab's
and other related models for
bringing together a community of
volunteers, resource persons,
and development partners. The
organization of an annual
Innovations Marketplace
(inspired by the recently
concluded Thailand model
supported by the World Bank
Group) will initially serve to
publicize the nature and
objectives of the Social Venture
Fund and allow grassroots
entrepreneurs and innovators to
showcase new ideas and generate
collaborative relationships.
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| 2. |
Establishment of a database of
microfinance institutions that
will provide, inter alia, a
rating service for the benefit
of grass roots innovators and
entrepreneurs, and will enable
them to access reliable
information on available
financing alternatives. Planet
Finance has prepared a business
plan for the establishment of
such a database.
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| 3. |
Establishment of a database
comprising reliable information
to enable rural communities to
be fully informed of what
alternatives are available to
them in terms of hardware,
software and technology in order
to provide them independent,
unbiased information with which
to decide on these matters in
developing their connectivity
mechanisms. Lack of reliable
information is seen as adversely
affecting the ability of rural
communities to make the right
choices in face of competing
claims. Digital Partners with
support from UNDP will take the
lead in developing this
database.
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| 4. |
Development of an integrated set
of website and content
management tools that are
user-friendly, open source and
available in multiple local
languages. This is seen as
central to the task of expanding
relevant content that is
essential to creating a real
demand for use of IT to empower
rural communities. Lack of
suitable content adversely
affects the scalability of pilot
models and will make it
difficult to achieve cost
reductions in service provision
that will ensure affordable use
of IT for and by the rural poor.
An active group of social
entrepreneurs led by Mahiti, an
NGO headquartered in Bangalore,
is tackling this challenge.
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| 5. |
Development of a range and
variety of training programs to
strengthen local capacity for
use of IT as a tool of
empowerment. As programs are
identified and steps detailed,
they will be presented for
funding to donors. The
organization of an annual
capacity-building workshop is
also seen as a complementary to
the other actions listed here.
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| 6. |
Creation of a working group
comprised of IT leaders, social
innovators, and academics to
specifically address the issues
of appropriate and
cost-effective technologies that
will best achieve universal
rural connectivity. At present,
the policy directions being
adopted at the federal level are
likely to close out affordable
solutions. The working group
will also address the policy
recommendations. The UNDP
announced that it would assist
this group.
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| 7. |
Development of intellectual
property recommendations
applicable for rural conditions
and concerns. The protection of
indigenous peoples' rights is
relevant to poverty alleviation
efforts as the rural poor and
grassroots communities are most
vulnerable to theft of their
culture and infringement on
their traditions through
unbridled exposure that will
inevitably occur through
improved connectivity. Unless
steps are taken now to protect
the intellectual property rights
of the poor, the sole assets
that the poor bring to the
regional and global marketplace
will be lost.
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