In April 2006, at the India is Innovation seminar, Microsoft India Chairman Ravi Venkatesan in his keynote address spoke about partnering with local entrepreneurs in rural India for setting up kiosks under ‘Project Saksham’, which will also support rural content development.
Business Standard reports that in collaboration with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), a Canadian development organization, Microsoft has launched a rural incubation fund of $200,000. Both have invested $100,000. The fund will empower the software industry in small cities to develop low-cost rural applications in areas like healthcare, education and agriculture. M S Swaminathan, chairman, M S Swaminathan Research Foundation, said the fund would grow bigger in the coming months.
According to The Hindu, the project will also identify, nurture and build capacity in organizations willing to run a chain of kiosks in rural areas, and partner with telecom companies for ensuring affordable connectivity and explore affordable renewable energy solutions. It will also provide credit and banking related services besides offering technology solutions including operating systems, applications and on ground IT training for rural communities.
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