Introduction to Gramdoot: Need of the Hour

One of the finest examples of application of Information and Communication Technology and creative entreprenuership is Gramdoot running in Wardha District of Maharashtra since 2002. This concept was developed by an IT company called NSP futuretech Pvt. Ltd. Nagpur and district administration of Wardha. The company created the business model wherein with the help of village level entreprenuers a network of IT kiosks is established upto the village level through out the district. More Than 70 district, Taluka and village level centers were created by the investment of the entreprenuers themselves.

The business model focused on serving the villagers by offering various need based services at an affordable price to the villagers. To start with Gramdoot offers the eGovernance services like Providing computerized land record documents, community certificates etc. This network could be utilized by all those business interest groups who are looking forward to do the business at village level. This model of eGovernance has recieved wide acclaims from the Government establishments. Gramdoot Has recieved Bronze icon for excellence in service delivery under National eGovernence Awards 2006. It is however pertienet to mention that the project has not recieved any kind of Government Grant and has established itself as a proof of concept that how such kind of IT kiosk can be an ideal delivery platform for eGov. services at the village level.

The governemnt of India has announced the Common Service Center (CSC) scheme under national eGovernance Plan (NeGP) with a budget of aroud 5000 crores with an objective of establishing 100000 village level CSCs throughout the country. The model of CSC is almost similar to the Gramdoot model which is running since more than 4 years. Here the Govt. understands the significance of village level IT kiosks and acknowledge that there is a need for revenue support to run the CSCs in the initial phases to make it self sustainable in the long run, the gesture which is appreciated by the Gramdoot network as they have managed to sustain for so long with a lot of hardships.

It is also worthwhile to mention that the gramdoot intiated by a group of small entreprenuers with a great vision and commitment that it could survive at times when such kind of phenomena did not exists and there was cynicism in the government establishment on practicability of such ideas. Now with Government support forthcoming the Gramdoot model can be empowered to play a proactive role in tranforming the employement opportunities in the rural India.