In recent years, there has been
paradigm shift in the development of youth in India with a huge
focus on livelihood development through micro entrepreneurship. A
severe lack of job opportunities for youth, especially rural youth,
has led to entrepreneurship, even at the micro level, as a necessary
and viable alternative for livelihood generation. Providing the
opportunity for youth to successfully start and run a small business
will improve rural economy and lead to better quality of life for
the youth, their families, and their communities. Promoting rural
enterprise will also serve as a key to stem the migration of youth
and bring about a reduction in the number of youth who move away
from their communities in search of employment elsewhere.
With the advancement of technology, and the ever growing reliance on
digitalisation, rural communities are fast being left behind on the
availability of technology based services. A huge gap exists between
urban and rural communities in this regard. To bridge the gap
between urban and rural communities, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS),
in partnership with Development Focus (DF), are pioneering an
innovative Digital Entrepreneurship Program in collaboration with
Vimukti Charitable Trust® Pothnal, Raichur district in North
Karnataka. The aim of this unique initiative is to create rural
e-entrepreneurs from socially and economically disadvantaged rural
communities.
Project Overview
The project, aptly named BridgeIT, is a micro entrepreneurship
program that aims to provide livelihood opportunities and bridge the
IT gap between urban and rural India by building the capacity of
rural youth in e-entrepreneurship. BridgeIT will focus on building
the IT and entrepreneurial skills of rural youth, build their
confidence, and enhance their life skills, providing them with the
necessary means and support to earn a livelihood through
e-entrepreneurship. The initiative will not only allow rural youth
to be gainfully employed and self-sufficient, but will also bridge
the IT gap by enabling the youth to bring much needed IT related
services into their communities. By promoting rural
entrepreneurship, the intervention aims to improve the rural
economy, reduce illiteracy, and provide academic inputs to both
school going children and adults through computer based education.
Survey on progress in sixteen villages of Manvi taluka for
entrepreneurship candidate who could learn and start business in
their own village, after due trainings, they will be provided
laptops, projectors, etc.
