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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