The deployment of innovative technologies in rural and remote areas has been an ongoing challenge in India as a result of the decentralized nature of these communities, the difficulty in securing the right infrastructure for utilizing the technologies, and educating the communities on the benefits of innovation.
To address this, the Government of India, under the National e-Governance Plan, conceptualized CSCs, or common service centers, as a mechanism.
The AGNIi mission collaborated with CSC initiatives in order to sensitize Village Level Entrepreneurs on how they could discover livelihood opportunities by bringing their innovations to life. This ensured that local communities and innovators would support each other in a symbiotic fashion.
For more precise targeting of innovations, AGNIi team had conducted a survey of 800 VLEs for assessing the needs in their respective villages.
In order to maximize the scope of engagement, multiple workshops were held on a regular basis, with an overarching process that ensured consistency and efficiency:
- Showcases were decided on a sectoral and thematic basis, as well as state-wise.
- Relevant innovations for the VLEs were scouted by the AGNIi team.
- The team gleaned additional insights from state heads and district managers of CSC regarding the themes and innovations that would interest local VLEs as viable business opportunities.
- Sessions were organized according to theme, and were conducted as live virtual workshops that last for up to 2 hours and accommodated 20-25 VLEs at a time.
- These VLEs would then invite 10-15 people from their communities to attend these live innovation showcases.
These workshops have been organized with the aim of covering 800 villages over the span of 12 months, paving the way for increased technology adoption across rural India.
