BT, Cisco Systems and the charity organisation OneWorld have launched Lifelines, a new initiative to support rural communities in India. The project has been developed in support of the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goal on digital inclusion.
Lifelines is a phone-based information service that provides invaluable veterinary and agricultural information to India’s farming communities, 365 days a year. Farmers simply dial a dedicated phone number and record their question on an automated voicemail system. Their message is picked up by a knowledge worker from OneWorld, who sources the necessary information from a panel of agricultural and veterinary experts linked behind the scenes by sophisticated IT and communications technology. The knowledge worker then leaves the answer to the question as a recording on the phone, which the farmer can pick up 24 hours later.
“We are absolutely delighted to be involved with the Lifelines project,” said Arun Seth, chairman of BT India. “Lifelines helps India’s farming communities by providing vital knowledge to those who need it the most. Lifelines is one of the most creative ways I have seen of using ICT technology to bring life-enhancing expertise to remote communities in a way that they can readily access.”
BT supports the project with executive leadership and funding, and has also provided commercial and technical expertise critical to making the project a success. This includes support from TechMahindra, a joint venture company in which BT has a 38 per cent holding.
Peter Armstrong, director, OneWorld International Foundation, said: “There is a huge gap in rural India when it comes to gaining timely and
relevant knowledge. Farmers account for 65 per cent of the workforce and many find it very difficult to get access to the information they need. By bringing technology, such as the phone which is the most easily accessible communication tool into rural India, Lifelines is connecting communities and empowering people which brings a new dimension to information exchange.”
Sudhir Narang, senior vice president, Service Provider and Government, Cisco India, added: “We are very excited to be involved in this partnership with BT and OneWorld. By utilizing all of the assets of our corporation, together we are making an impact to make relevant knowledge more accessible to the poorest communities in India.”
Cisco has contributed staff, equipment, donations and funding to the project. Cisco employees from multiple business units and geographical locations came together to design, build and support the infrastructure that will enable the service, and some employees also participated in capacity building workshops held in India. The company allocated senior staff to the executive steering committee and encouraged its ecosystem partners, including WIPRO, to donate pro-bono work in support of this project.
BT is involved with several other community initiatives in India, including KITES, the Katha Information Technology and E-commerce School in Delhi, and St Crispin’s IT Training Centre in Pune.
