IIM Calcutta to come up with collaborative rural community

The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta’s Social Informatics Research Group has decided to come up with a project in order to build the next-generation of collaborative and responsive rural community by digitally empowering them. This project is a part of a larger project funded by Information Technology Research Academy.

The objective:

• The objective of the project, NCoRe, is to analyse and measure the strength and influence of smart-phone enabled social information systems on the socio-economic performance of self-help groups, the micro-communities in rural India

• Another objective is to empower the rural community and enhance their participation in not only improving their livelihood, but also help the government with local situational information during any natural or man-made disaster

Somprakash Bandyopdhyay, Professor, MIS Group and Research Director, Social Informatics Research Group, IIMC said ”The NCoRe would primarily address the current problem of the information gap between rural SHGs and the urban market.”

Usage of smart phones:

Panasonic India is partnering with social informatics research group in this project whose objective is to train 50 SHG members of Kandi SHG Federation, Murshidabad on the use of smart phones. This will then harness the potential of digital connectivity and enable community participation in governance.

(Read: NITI Aayog to rank states on education performance)

50 smart phones have been donated by Panasonic India for this project so as to study the usage of smartphone-enabled social information system by the SHG members and its effectiveness in improving their livelihood. The Heritage Institute of Technology, which is also one of the project implementation partners, and  Bharti Airtel have given low-cost corporate mobile connections to these phones.

source”cnbc”