Case Studies Some initial results/ pointers, gathered through the activities of ISRO - MSSRF VRCs in Tamil Nadu have been examined. Some of the interesting outcomes include farmers’ motivation towards scientific advisories and consultations, school children getting enthused - resulting into improved performance, implementation of education and healthcare programmes of the Government, etc. On examining the Users' Registers at the VRCs, feedback from the respective regional coordinator and limited independent evaluation, the following outcomes are highlighted:
Portfolios of Services and Beneficiaries From January 2005 to June 2006, the portfolios of services from VRCs and number of beneficiaries are listed below:
Portfolio of services
No of beneficiaries
Awareness building
4,625
Micro enterprises
999
Health
368
Market
236
Weather
51
Livestock
741
Employment
5,430
Agriculture
554
Govt. Schemes
3,087
Fisheries
632
Education/ Results
2,712
SHG Accounting
3,399
Meetings
1,448
Trainings
5,535
Rural Library
3,546
General/Misc.
20,117
Total
53,477
ISRO-MSSRF VRCs, so far, have provided over 1500 programmes/ advisories to local people. The areas addressed include: agriculture, adult and computer literacy, alternate livelihood related vocational training, marketing of agro-products, micro-finance/ enterprises, livestock management, healthcare, etc. Around 75,000 people have availed the services of VRCs till recently. Employment, training, Self Help Group related activities, access to Governmental schemes and exam results etc have been found to have largers demands.
Further, the observations could be summarized as:
VRCs have functioned as the local hub for convergent activities - between the Jamshetji Tata National Virtual Academy (NVA) for Rural Prosperity; Microsoft Unlimited Potential Programme (MUPP); taken up earlier by MSSRF. As such, VRCs functioning not as stand-alone system have considerable impacts.
VRCs have enabled community networking for empowerment and sharing of knowledge; this is an important step in creating the congenial environment for holistic development in rural areas.
Videoconferencing between experts and the rural community - farmers, SHGs, local traders, etc. has been well received.
Catalytic Effect
VRCs catalyze the on-going activities. In Sempatti, the average consultations per month, has gone up from 134 to 399; in Thangachhimadam, it has moved from 122 to 415; and in Thiruvaiyaru it has improved marginally from 152 to 196 This analysis has covered the data from user’s registers up to April 2005 and in the recent months consultations has registered quantum jump to the extent touching 500 per month. Increasing usages of VRCs are among the good indicators on sustainability.
The demand for VRC services match well with those arrived at through the prior PRA exercises; thus emphasizing the importance of need assessment surveys prior to designing of the VRC services. For example, the demand in Sempati has been for agriculture employment and micro-enterprise; in Thangatchimadam for computer training and fisheries; and in Thiruvaiyaru, farmer-to-farmer and farmer-to-expert consultations.
Spatial database prepared for Thiruvaiyaru provided useful inputs for farmer-to-expert consultations on natural resources management. The information on fallow lands, sandy area, built-up land, brick kilns, water body, soil characteristics, water availability/ scarcity, etc., was useful in suggesting alternative crops.
The farmers also look for information on fertilizer, water holding capacity, groundwater table/ decline, etc in their farms/ villages.
In Sempatti and Thiruvaiyaru, VRC services pertaining to agriculture are converging on drought management and cultivation of high value, low water requiring crops like pulses and oilseeds.
Catalytic effects of VRCs in improving the quality of services
In Thangachhimadam, it is predominantly tele-fishery, computer training and education.
Computer Aided Learning Programme (CALP):
A unique effort of Azim Premji Foundation through VRCs has demonstrated motivational changes in school children, by way of increased interest in learning and reduced dropouts. The CALP package comprises a set of the educational CDs/ material, provided to schools in phases. A variety of topics viz., Choo Mantar, Chatur Char, A day with Kadooji, Majic Marbles, Our Dream Schools, How Things work - TV/ Fan, etc are covered.
ISRO - MSSRF VRCs are implementing the CALP; wherein, after the students view the CDs/ educational material, the teacher - students’ interaction is facilitated by VRCs in virtual atmosphere. Once motivated, the children were found to take more interest in their regular studies, which otherwise was being treated by them as mundane.
The CALP is found to attract the children in the age group of 5 to 14. In some villages, children of age group 18 to 20 also participated.
The methodology of evaluation of CALP contained questionnaires representing different groups and profiles of the students, teachers and parents; and their analyzing their responses in the light of the performances of the students in their examinations, before and after CALP. It was seen that: (i) school dropouts wanted to continue their education; (ii) below average children had picked up higher levels of performances, scoring > 60-70%; children showed increased learning capacity of different types of subjects; and (iii) parents as well as teachers felt happy.
Concurrent Monitoring
An independent, concurrent monitoring and evaluation were carried out to assess the performance of VRCs. A questionnaire was conducted at every VRC, which could capture the following details:
Attitude of people towards VRC
Possible ways of making VRC self-sustainable/Revenue generation
Possible reasons for many people not coming to VRC
Expectations of beneficiaries/Usability of VRC for people
Jan 2009Shillong: Farmers in India’s Northeast can now interact with top scientists of the country and seek solutions to their problems related to farming, market, health and weather dynamics from their nearest Village Resource Centres (VRC). The Shillong-based North Eastern Space Application Centre (Nesac) in association with Bangalore-based Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) has set up 34 VRCs across the northeastern region and proposes to set up around 50 more to bring farmers closer to experts who can guide them in various fields. Farmers across 10 VRCs of Assam interacted with agricultural experts who were stationed at Nesac during the Farmers Virtual Congress as part of the 96th Indian Science Congress Monday. Nesac director P.P. Nageswara Rao said the VRC would serve as single window access to information for farmers across the region with respect to various problems faced by them during cultivation, marketing, health and weather dynamics. Once the system comes up, the farmers would sit with a interpreter in front of a computer set in the VRC and would seek advise from the experts sited at the base in any part of the country. Nesac has collaborated with many institutes including Assam Agricultural University, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Gauhati Medical College and other institutes to fructify the advisory system. Isro has funded the entire hardware, transponder time and bandwidth in the VRCs, while local collaborators in each state would bear other costs like sponsoring a local coordinator. Of the 34 VRC set up so far, 16 are in Sikkim, eight in Nagaland and 10 in Assam. The VRC are likely to be functional by June next year.
Jan 2008: MSSRF organises a satellite-based virtual conference of farmers from five States
UNIQUE EXPERIMENT: Women farmers of Pokhran, Rajasthan, speak through a video conference at the National Virtual Congress of the Mahila Kisan during the 95th Indian Science Congress in Andhra University in Visakhapatnam on Saturday. Minister of State for Women and Child Welfare Renuka Chowdhary and eminent scientist M.S. Swaminathan listen to them.
VISAKHAPATNAM: The 95th session of the Indian Science Congress, being held here, could well go down in history as a unique experiment, as it provided an opportunity for the farming community to voice its problems and aspirations directly to the annual gathering of policy-makers and scientists.
The Indian Space Research Organisation, the Andhra University, where the session is being held, and the Chennai-based M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) organised a satellite-based virtual conference of farmers from seven locations in five States — Thiruvaiyaru in Tamil Nadu, Moosapet in Andhra Pradesh, Jeypore in Koraput district of Orissa, Yavatmal and Waifad in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, and MSSRF.
The conference focused on the travails and dreams of women farmers as Indian agriculture is increasingly getting feminised because of migration of men to cities and towns in search of jobs. It is estimated that at present, women account for about 70 per cent of the farm workforce.
The problems voiced by the women farmers from the seven locations varied from lack of adequate credit to problems of security as they had to go to their farms at night for pumping water as power supply is erratic. A woman farm labourer also sought crèches to take care of their children when they go out to work and another sought medical and risk allowance.
There were demands for drought-resistant seeds and seed banks in the villages; government-run shelters for abandoned cattle so that they do not stray into fields; and women-friendly agricultural tools and tractors.
The conference was organised as part of the village resource centre scheme of ISRO.
Over the last two years, the space agency has set up 315 village resource centres (VRC) across the country, which are connected through satellite. ISRO has been using the network to disseminate farm-related information and as a discussion forum for the farming community. Every day, ISRO runs a four-hour programme under the scheme.
Empathising with the women farmers, Union Minister for Women and Child Development Renuka Chowdhary, who chaired the two-hour session, said her Ministry would also soon be a part of the network and use it extensively, with focus on aspects such as their health and nutrition security.
She also announced that she would convene a meeting of shoe manufacturers and discuss the possibility of producing affordable gum boots for use by women farmers while working in the fields and campaign strongly for joint title deed for agricultural land.
“It is highly atrocious that nutrition level among women was very low,” she said.
Later addressing a press conference, Dr. Swaminathan said a charter based on the points raised by the women farmers would be included in the final recommendations of the Science Congress. The nine-point charter, among other things, called for issue of joint title deeds as it was absolutely essential for the women farmers to get access to Kisan credit cards and institutional credit, and for special insurance schemes to cover them from occupational hazards like leptosporosis infection in paddy fields.
Support services
It would also urge for support services such as crèches, anganwadis to reduce their burden, and bring about changes in the curricula of agricultural universities to make students more gender sensitive.
V.S. Hegde, Head of the VRC programme of ISRO, said the number of VRCs in the country would be increased to 4,000 within two years.
April 2007 : Satellite imageries to help tillers on earth
Ryots urged to make use of VRC concept
TOUCH OF TECH: ISRO Chairman G.Madhavan Nair checking out the touchscreen information kiosk set up in Tirupati on Saturday.
TIRUPATI:
Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) G. Madhavan Nair has expressed concern over the fall in farm growth rate and problems faced by ryots. Speaking at a meet organised by the Federation of Farmers' Associations (FFA) here on Saturday, Dr. Nair said that doubling the growth rate (currently at 1.8 per cent) was the greatest challenge ahead of the scientific fraternity.
Emphasis should be laid food processing, logistics and distribution to minimise farm wastage and at the same time maximise returns. Dr. Nair saw a greater need for a tie-up between space scientists and farmers to usher in an era of rational farming. With remote sensing emerging as a major partner in farming, he said that ryots who had effectively utilised the technology could gain 40-100 per cent increase in income levels in the last three years. Case of `Sujalam' Citing the example of `Sujalaam,' a Rs.600-crore watershed scheme in Karnataka that became a success with the use of remote sensing technology, Dr. Nair said: "This is where technology has a major role to play."
On the village resource centre (VRC) concept, a plan to bring all technology-related services like tele-medicine, tele-education and a touchscreen kiosk to provide information to farmers under one roof, the ISRO chief advised farmers to make use of the 200 such centres established all over the country.
National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA) Director K. Radhakrishnan, SV University incharge Vice-Chancellor K. Sivasankar Reddy and FFA Scientific Adviser O.S. Reddy spoke. Dr. Nair was later felicitated by FFA general secretary P. Chengal Reddy.
April 2009: It facilitates farmers to understand the crop protection methods
HITECH: Operation of the kiosk being explained to farmers at Pullanviduthi near Pudukottai.
PUDUKOTTAI: The Indian Farmers’ Fertiliser Co-operative Limited (IFFCO) has donated a comprehensive kiosk containing all cultivation details to the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation’s Village Resource Centre (VRC) at Annavasal in the district.
The kiosk, with multi-purpose utilisation, facilitates farmers to understand the crop protection methods, the importance of soil conservation and irrigation practices suited to a specific crop and even vocational activities such as preparation of vermi-compost and bio-manures.
At the touch of a screen and with the aid of visual images, the farmers can log in to a specific crop such as paddy or sugarcane cultivated by them. Right from sowing the seeds up to ploughing the fields, every minute detail is available at the kiosk.
The salient feature of the kiosk is that it seeks to clarify the doubts, using the frequently asked queries. A special audio system has been incorprated in to it and the farmer, at the touch of the relevant question, can get the doubts clarified. A telephone-like equipment is attached to the kiosk for listening to the audio component of the kiosk.
The content of the kiosk can be printed, using a printer also donated by the IFFCO.
The Joint Director of Agriculture, Pudukottai, Siva. Chellappa inaugurated the kiosk at Pullanviduthi village near Alankudi recently, where the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation operates a Village Knowledge Centre. Speaking on the occasion, he appealed to the farmers to take maximum advantage of the kiosk.
The Foundation’s VRC Project Co-ordinator R. Rajkumar said that the content of the kiosk would be circulated to the leading farmers and the coconut-growers in and around Alankudi. Village-specific modifications, if needed, would be incorporated in to the kiosk.
Programs are mainly on agriculture and floriculture
Main programs include:
Ginger cultivation
Mushroom cultivation
Use of pesticides/pest control
Productivity enhancement
Storage of crops, irrigation and many more
Programs on Banking (loan information etc.)*
Programs on Tax*
Lectures on floriculture
Environmental projects
Personality development classes
Value development programs for youth
Other programs include
Career counseling
Mass media education
Value education
Tele-quiz
Tribal workshop
Environment projects
* Programs broadcasted from Ettimadai Expert Centre
Use for the Beneficiaries:
Improving their agricultural practices
Getting consultation from expert doctors free of cost
Gaining knowledge by attending training programs
Finding new and scientific ways of farming
Getting counseling on handling situations of drought (highest no. of suicides due to inability to repay loans after facing drought)
Getting career counseling for higher education
Highlights:
Out of every 10 visitors to VRC, at least 5 come back for more information
People mainly spend their money mainly on agriculture (buying farming equipments and other products like seeds and pesticides) and payment of loans.
People come to VRC when there is any lecture or any training program. Nearly 7-8 people come to VRC daily. This excludes the number of people coming to listen to any lecture.
Ettimadai Expert Centre
Activities:
Conducting lectures by experts in respective fields
Managing ISRO-Amrita VRC network
Kalpetta
VRC Services offered include:
Tele-medicine
Expert doctors in Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS)
Conducted with the help of Amrita Kripa Charitable Hospital, Kalpetta
Tele-education*
Programs conducted from Ettimadai Expert Centre
Programs are mainly on agriculture
Main programs include:
Ginger cultivation
Mushroom cultivation
Use of pesticides/pest control
Productivity enhancement, storage of crops, irrigation etc.
Agricultural market information
Programs on Banking (loan information etc.)*
Programs on Tax*
Lectures on rain water harvesting
Distribution of some government forms
Career Counseling
* Programs broadcasted from Ettimadai Expert Centre
Use for the Beneficiaries:
Improving their agricultural practices
Getting consultation from expert doctors free of cost
Gaining knowledge by attending training programs
Finding new and scientific ways of farming
Awareness about Satellite Technology and Information Technology
Getting career counseling for higher education
Receiving information on bank loans
Highlights:
Out of every 10 visitors to VRC, at least 5 come back for more information
People spend their money mainly on agriculture (buying farming equipments and other products like seeds and pesticides) and health (fighting with malaria).
People usually come to VRC for tele-medicine or when there is any lecture or training program. Nearly 5-6 people come to VRC daily. This excludes the number of people coming to listen to the lectures.
Primary education is still a distant dream for many villagers..
Livelihood earning activities (Doll making, tailoring, fruit processing)
Crop Protection Training for Vegetable & Flower crops
* Programs broadcasted from Chennai Expert Centre
Use for the Beneficiaries:
Gaining knowledge through informal education
Computer Education/Computer awareness
Utilization of new Technology for poor villagers
Personality and skill development
Improving their agricultural practices/scientific method in crop management
Personality and skill development for youth
Getting consultation from expert doctors free of cost
Getting career counseling for higher education
Receiving information on bank loans.
Highlights:
Out of every 10 visitors to VRC, at least 4 come back for more information. The daily frequency of people coming to VRC (including VKCs) is nearly 20-25.
People spend their money mainly on education and health/sanitation.
Village knowledge workers get training from time to time and receive information on the activities conducted by other Knowledge workers.
General Observations Problems Faced
Satellite connectivity continues to erratic.
Less number of resource persons as many projects are handled by them at the same time (Average 5-6 persons per VRC).
Financial sustainability is an issue because the operating cost of VRC is covered by other projects.
Difficulty in mobilizing people for any event.
Shortcomings
No provision for any incentive for working good.
Timely availability of localized content is a big issue.
No revenue generation activity at any VRC.
All VRCs are cost centres rather than becoming self-sustainable.
REMOTE SENSING: ISRO officials displaying the high resolution satellite maps on the land use pattern and topography of Kodumon panchayat at a workshop organised by the Saktibhadra Cultural Centre at Kodumon on Thursday.
PATHANAMTHITTA: The Saktibhadra Cultural Centre, a Kodumon-based non-governmental organisation in the district, is planning to set up a Village Resource Centre (VRC) at Kodumon with technical collaboration and guidance from the Regional Remote Sensing Service Centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), according to the centre’s chairman, Kodumon G. Gopinathan Nair.
The centre organised a workshop at Kodumon on Thursday as part of the proposed VRC. P.G. Diwakar, who heads the ISRO facility in Bangalore, and K. Ganesh Raj from it were the main speakers.
Displaying high-resolution satellite images showing the land-use pattern, water resources and green cover of Kodumon village, the two experts stressed the need for making people aware of the advantages of remote sensing and its social applications, especially in the process of rural development.
The proposed VRC is aimed at bringing the benefits of space technology directly to communities at the grassroots level, promoting a single-window delivery of need-based services in the areas of education, health, nutrition, weather, environment, agriculture and alternative livelihoods, Dr. Diwakar said.
According to him, in a country like India, where agriculture is the mainstay of the economy, the real impact of space technology is in the farm sector and ISRO has taken up several participatory projects aimed at improving the productivity of land. The data from high-resolution satellite images are being effectively used for mapping geographical features and preparing village community database.
Dr. Diwakar said the terrain maps were integrated with data on rainfall pattern, socio-economic conditions and vulnerable groups to form valuable inputs for watershed management and community-level resource development plans.
The very concept of VRC is to enable the rural community to participate in knowledge-based economic development by providing local specific information at the village level. The experts handed over a set of satellite images of Kodumon panchayat to the trust leaders on the occasion.
Mr. Gopinathan Nair said the centre would submit a detailed project report, with a rough cost estimate, of the proposed resource centre.
The Department of Space has launched a programme to set up Village Resource Centres (VRCs) in partnership with concerned state, central agencies and NGOs to provide space-based services to the rural areas of the country. The main components of VRC services to the rural areas will be - Tele-education, Telemedicine, Land & Water Resources Advisories, Interactive Farmers’ Advisory Services / Tele-agriculture, e-Governance services, and Weather Information.
ISRO-ABITA GKUP VRC network installation completed at 12 VRC clusters in Assam with Expert Nodes at Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat and ABITA (Assam Branch of Indian Tea Association) Gramin Krishi Unnayan Prakalpa at Guwahati. ISRO-NASTEC VRC Network has been approved for installation at 5 Village Councils in Kohima and Phek districts of Nagaland. Similarly 8 VRCs are planned in Tripura.
The Mata Amritanandamayi Math (MAM), in connection with the ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization), has been establishing Amrita ISRO Village Resource Centers across the country using satellite technology to bring knowledge, medical care, educational, and economical resources to remote areas.
Today, the Amrita ISRO Village Resource Center launched Tele-Fisheries and Tsunami Alert Systems at the fisheries harbour in Azhikkal, Alappad Panchayat, Kerala.
The systems were inaugurated by Sri. S. Sharma, the Honourable Minister of Fisheries, Harbour Management & Registration of Kerala. During the function, a Tele-Fisheries Information Board was unveiled which will display data regarding the three best fishing locations as determined through the ISRO satellite. The board will be updated with new information every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
The fisheries harbour will also be home to Alappad's Tsunami Alert System. Attached to the board is a siren which will sound should another wave threaten the community.
Other Amrita ISRO Village Resource Centers have been established in the Kerala villages of Kalpetta, Putiyakavu, Parippally, Srayikkad, Amritapuri, Manantavadi, as well as the Tamil Nadu villages of Nagapattinam and Ettimidai. These are bringing Tele-Education, Tele-Agriculture and Tele-Medicine knowledge to the local communities. Aside from these online programs, there are a number of off-line programs, including skill training, eco-development, capacity building programs, debates and seminars.
Since the VCR program's inception in July 2005 {news}, 70 such online and offline programs have been organised in various sectors with 11,050 people participating.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has joined hands with the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) to implement spoken English programme for the tribals in the rural areas of Narmada, Surendranagar, Bharuch, Surat and Junagadh through VSAT connectivity.
Through its Space Application Centre, which has been doing research on VSAT technology, ISRO wants to uplift the life and livelihood of the people in the rural areas through services such as Tele-education and Tele-healthcare. Spoken English will be part of these courses, and AKRSP will be the implementing agencies for five centres.
Kumar Ujjwal, the coordinator of the project said: "The idea is to provide education to the tribal youths, especially education in English, which is lacking. As a community centric learning centre, the Village Resource Centre's (VRC's) aim is to bring access of knowledge to the villagers' doorstep." VRC is a national project being run with ISRO technology.
ISRO will provide VSAT connectivity to the five selected VRC locations. Apart from education, the objective is also to reach out to farmers and provide them with information related to agriculture, land and water management.
The VRCs will avail agriculture and horticulture related advisories from the expert centres at Anand Agricultural University, K-Link centre at Bhuj, and the tele-health related services from the telemedicine hospital and the Apollo Hospital at Ahmedabad.
An ISRO official said: "The most striking feature of tele-education is skill development. The other centres have done very well through this project. In Kutch, around 11 of the 15 students have secured jobs, while others have been able to get a hike in salary after undergoing the programme."
AKRSP will promote VRC project among five districts of Gujarat to mobilise and establish VRCs through community based technology-learning centres (CTLCs), and provide the technical and management support for them to become viable and sustainable.
"The moment we get all the hardware and software, we will start the project. We have identified the centres in all the five places," said Ujjwal.
These VRCs will work as part of the existing VRC network of Gujarat in association with NGOs SEWA and ABHIYAN.
OTHER OBJECTIVES* Advisories on agriculture, land and water management* Providing enhanced livelihood opportunities to tribal youths* Providing information to farmers on price, market, pests, diseases, livestock, government schemes, job opportunities, and e-governance related information, among others
ISRO’s Space Technology enabled Village Resource Centres (VRCs) for Rural Development
ISRO as one of the recent initiatives - for delivering the variety of space technology enabled products and services directly to the grassroots - has embarked upon Village Resource Centre (VRC) programme to facilitate overall development at village/ community level. The VRCs, being implemented in association with selected NGOs, Trusts, Universities/institutions and Government agencies, are envisaged to serve as a prime delivery system in the rural areas, for the services such as: vocational/ non-formal education; healthcare; local weather; environment; advisories on agriculture, fisheries, livestock; livelihood support; etc. Further, with the participation of the stakeholders at local/ different levels, VRCs will also be able to provide a variety of other services such as, information on price, market, pests & diseases, govt. schemes, e-governance related, job opportunities, and a host of other ICT based services, and act as local helpline.
The VRCs are provided with fully interactive VSAT based communication facility, linking them to selected knowledge/ expert centres/ hospitals. The network is operating in Ext. C-band with uplink suitable for interactive purposes. Spatial and non-spatial data/ information relevant to land & water resources management at village/ micro-watershed level are also being made available at the VRCs.
Towards setting up a VRC, ISRO provides the communication and telemedicine equipments, satellite connectivity, and available/ customised databases of relevance to management of land and water resources. Space based products and services related to fisheries, etc. would also be made available by ISRO/ DOS. The associating/ partner agency provides the civil infrastructure to house the VRCs, manpower to run the VRCs, and also maintain the equipment and the facility after the initial/ warranty period. The responsibility of content generation and community mobilisation is also the prime responsibility of the associating/ partner agency.
The first cluster of 4 VRC nodes in Tamil Nadu was set up in association with MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) in October 2004. And, as of now, 445 VRC nodes have been set up in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka Kerala, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Orissa, , Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal and Union Territory of Puducherry, Andaman & Nicobar Islands; and another 65 nodes are being set up.
Based on the experience gained by the VRC Programme so far, and taking into account the concerted efforts of the Government as well as the private to empower the rural areas with ICT based services; it is proposed to expand the VRCs to all the rural/semi urban blocks/taluks of the country.
VS Hegde (vshegde@isro.gov.in) and RLN Murthy Indian Space Research Organisation
President of India launches Amrita ISRO satellite network of village resource centers
In a packed colourful function attended by over 4000 people plus hundreds of people at 9 centers,the President of India, His Excellency, Bharat Ratna, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam launched the Amrita ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) joint initiative in 'Village Resource Centers' on 6 July, 2005 at the Ettimadai campus of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham. Governor of Tamil Nadu, Shri Surjit Singh Barnala, Tamil Nadu Education Minister, Shri Shanmugham, Dr. G. Madhavan Nair, Chairman of ISRO, Brahmachari Abhayamrita Chaitanya, Chief Operating Officer of AMRITA Vishwa Vidyapeetham and Dr. P. Venkat Rangan, Vice Chancellor, Amrita University were also present on the dais. More than 25 CEOs and senior executives from leading IT and Financial Services Companies also attended the launch.
"Science needs direction from spirituality. While we accomplish immense growth in computer education and Internet experimentation, we should not forget the truth that that it is spirituality that teaches us how to use knowledge with discrimination", said Amma.
In his speech for students, Dr. Kalam said, "Amrita University has a major role to play in transforming our society into a knowledge society through it’s unique value-added education system". He also added that he was happy that the Amrita ISRO VRC's had a mission of taking space technology and knowledge products from the University directly for communities at the grass root level like fisheries and agriculture. He also emphasized on the need to establish Village Panchayat Knowledge Centers to empower villagers. He also asked the students to repeat with him, learning gives creativity & creativity leads to thinking, thinking provides knowledge and knowledge makes you great.
Earlier, Vice Chancellor Dr. P. Venkat Rangan welcomed the gathering. Shri Barnala released the brochure of the new venture. Dr. Madhavan Nair gave a brief overview on the latest initiatives of ISRO. He also commended the support provided by Amrita in implanting tele-medicine and tele-education services across India. Incidentally, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences hosts one of the largest tele-medicine networks in India connecting to over 36 remote rural hospitals as far flung as Leh-Ladakh. In two years it has already done over 800 tele consultations and 250 CME programmes seminars and conferences including a heart surgery and kidney conference.
Tele-education partners, Balu Doraiasamy, (Hewlett Packard), N. Lakshmi Narayanan (Cognizant), Sudev Muthyah (Microsoft) and Ranajoy Punja (CISCO) announced their support and participation in this Amrita ISRO rural development project. Likewise Tele-Medicine project partners Krishna Dhawan (Oracle) and Ketan Sampath (Intel); Tele-agriculture partner, Tele-fisheries partner Harishankar (IL & FS) announced their intent to participate. Shri K. Dinesh, Co-founder and Director –Infosys and MD of Ashraya Hasta announced support for the Disaster Management service of the VRC. 10 Amrita VRCs spread across 2 states were live and their interactions created quite a flutter. The Tele-education demo by Kozhikode Amrita Vidyalayam principal, Shobha Gopala Krishnan was superb.
Amritapuri
VRC Services offered include:
Tele-medicine
X-rays sent to experts through the centre
Ophthalmic and orthopedic patients benefited
Expert doctors in Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS)
Conducted with the help of Amrita Kripa Charitable Hospital at Amritapuri
Tele-education*
Programs conducted from Ettimadai Expert Centre
Programs are mainly on agriculture and floriculture
Main programs include:
Training on maintenance of boats
Training program on preparation of nets
Ginger cultivation
Mushroom cultivation
Use of pesticides/pest control
Productivity enhancement
Storage of crops, irrigation and many more
Tele-fisheries
Fresh and brackish water aquaculture
Deep sea fishing
Processing of fish
Potential fishing zones through satellite images
Availability of fish shoals for deep sea fishing
Rural Development Programs
Women empowerment
Agriculture
Natural resource management
Disaster management support
Spatial information services
Weather report
Programs on Banking (loan information etc.)*
Lectures on Tax planning
Distribution of some government forms
Other programs include
Agricultural market information
Processing of fish
Career Counseling
Seminar on new avenues of employment
Homestead vegetable farming
* Programs broadcasted from Ettimadai Expert Centre
Use for the Beneficiaries:
Knowing the potential fishing zones
Getting consultation from expert doctors free of cost
Gaining knowledge by attending training programs
Gaining skills through skill development programs
Getting career counseling for higher education
Getting employment related guidance
Highlights:
Out of every 10 visitors to VRC, at least 5 come back for more information
People spend their money mainly on fishing (buying fishing equipments and other products like boats and nets) and education.
People usually come for tele-medicine. It remains engaged daily for 2-3 hours at most. Weekly frequency of visitors is around 80 people per week (including the people coming to listen to lectures).
Most of the programs are lecture based only.
ISRO-AMRITA VRCs in Kerala and Tamilnadu
Unlike ISRO-MSSRF VRCs, ISRO-AMRITA VRCs are centric more to the causes of education, health and community capacity building.
ISRO-AMRITA VRCs have connected themselves with the relevant programmes/ schemes of the State Governments. They are focused on student learning, and through students/ children, expanding the user base to parents/adults towards community development. Some of the specific activities have been:
Curative and preventive healthcare, education, and community development - agriculture, women empowerment, capacity building, etc,
Over 50% of the activities carried out pertained to education - computer learning, career guidance, interactions with dignitaries, coaching classes, online tests and learning of English and Hindi languages.
Creation of Womens’ SHGs in tsunami affected areas; over 130 SHGs with minimum members of 15 women in each group have been formed - catering to social mobilization under difficult situation.
ISRO-AMRITA VRCs are located primarily in Schools, Tsunami Relief Camps and Orphanage. These VRCs, so far, have provided over 300 programmes/advisories to local people. The areas addressed include: agriculture, adult and computer literacy, healthcare, etc. Around 10,000 people have availed the services of VRCs so far (Fig 3.1).
Some Case Studies from ISRO-AMRITA VRCs
ISRO-Amrita VRC, in April 2006, conducted 101 progarmmes, although quite a few were direct programme (Table 2). There were 1563 persons, who actively participated in the programs. This is despite cancellation of several scheduled programes, due to the problems of satellite connectivity. The value of some of the programme could be judged from the fact that the tele-medicine through AIMS Kochi and Amrita Kripa Charitable Hospital, Kalpetta helped two of the patients to have cardiology consultations from the specialist cardiologist of AIMS. Eight patients got benefit in the other areas. Further, there were preventive and promotive health care programmes on personal hygiene for the students. There were another programmes on De-addiction in the community medicine. Similarly, there were 19 educational programs in April with 504 participants.
Fig 3.1 Portfolios of services form ISRO-AMRITA VRCs (Jan to June 2006 data)
Table 1. ISRO-AMRITA VRC Programme Summary in April 2006
Curative health
8
_____________________
7:10
69
Preventive& Promo-tive health
5
_____________________
4:30
138
Education
19
6:00
24:15
504
Community Development
25
42:00
5:00
335
Agriculture
5
_____________________
13:30
107
Fisheries
Others(Summer vacation program 13 days)
36
88:00
12:00
350
CD Presentation
3
4:30
________
60
Total
101
140:30
66:25
1563
Thangatchimadam
VRC Services offered include:
Tele-education*
Tele-fisheries
Tele-medicine
Programs on Banking (loan information etc.)*
Lectures on rain water harvesting*
Computer training
Status of passport
Job opportunities
Application forms
Examination details / Results
Weather information
Contact to Ministries and other officials through email – emergency timings
Market information on fish and prawn market on daily basis
Telephone (STD-ISD-PCO) and Fax
Computer (DTP) work
Computer training
Distribution of government forms
Advice on birth and death certificates
Weather information
Employment related information
Assistance in getting driver’s license/passport
Prices of fish
Skill development program (fish pickle, shell ornaments, book binding etc.)
Assistance in getting gas connection
Value added in fish by-products
Training on lobster and crab fattening
Offshore training on modern fishing equipments
Fish and prawn pickle making and preservation
Fish meal preparation
Marketing information on ornamental shell crafts
Seaweed cultivation
Methodology of Value added Seaweed byproducts
Information Bulletin/Community Newspaper
Micro enterprises training (Turkey rearing)
Self help group accounting software training
Women rights and health problems
Government schemes related to women
Information on Childcare and pregnancy care etc.
HIV-AIDS awareness program
Malaria awareness program
Eye camp
Leprosy awareness program
Demonstration –cum-training program on usage of Turtle Excluder Device (TED)
Computer Aided Learning Program (CALP)
Microsoft Unlimited Potential Program (MUPP)
MPEDA Training program/GPS training
Adult Literacy Program (ALP)
* Programs broadcasted from Chennai Expert Centre
Use for the Beneficiaries:
Gaining knowledge through informal education
Computer Education/Computer awareness
Utilization of new Technology for poor villagers
Knowing the potential fishing zones
Awareness about Satellite Technology and Information Technology
Personality and skill development for youth
Improving their fishing practices
Getting consultation from expert doctors free of cost
Finding new and scientific ways of farming
Getting career counseling for higher education
Receiving information on bank loans.
Highlights:
Out of every 10 visitors to VRC, at least 4 come back for more information. The daily frequency of people coming to VRC (including VKCs) is nearly 20-25.
People spend their money mainly on education and health/sanitation.
Nearly 12-15 people come daily to VKCs and nearly 8-10 people come daily to VRC.
The VRC concept has been evolved by ISRO and implemented through a partnership with MSSRF by integrating ISRO's capabilities in satellite communications and satellite based earth observation to disseminate a variety of services emanating from the space systems and other Information Technology tools to address the changing and critical needs of rural communities. The VRC is a totally interactive VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) based network.
VRCs can also provide a variety of services like tele-education, telemedicine, online decision support, interactive farmers' advisory services, tele-fishery, e-governance services, weather services and water management. By providing tele-education services, the VRCs act as virtual community centric learning centres. At the same time, VRCs will provide connectivity to specialty hospitals thus bringing the services of expert doctors closer to the villages. (Acknowledgement ISRO)
Prime Minister Inaugurates Village Resource Centres (VRC)
The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh inaugurated the first cluster of Village Resource Centres (VRC) in Tamilnadu on October 18, 2004. ISRO has established these satellite based VRCs jointly with the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), Chennai.
One of the VRCs in Tamilnadu
Inaugurating the conference from Delhi, the Prime Minister recalled the visionary leadership provided by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, in laying emphasis on the development of science and technology and establishment of institutions of excellence in science and technology since independence. He said that among the various institutions created since independence, no department or institution has brought greater laurels and credit to India than the Indian Space Programme. He commended ISRO for its commitment to excellence and making the space programme socially relevant.
Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh with Mr G Madhavan Nair, Chairman, ISRO (left) while inaugurating the VRCs from Delhi
ISRO – MSSRF VRC Network concept
“India lives in villages and therefore, unless we take the benefits of modern science and technology to our villages, we cannot get rid of the mass poverty which has affected millions and millions of our people for centuries. The space applications in the last two to three decades have made it possible to address the problems of low productivity of our agriculture, inefficient use of our land and water resources as well as bring the benefits of modern medicine, modern educational technologies to the remotest parts of the country.” He said and added that he is convinced that in the years to come, VRC can help in a vigorous national effort to improve agricultural productivity, improve agricultural yields, launch a new programme for the control of pest and diseases and, at the same time, ensure through distance education not only to modernise our school system of education but also make a more frontal attack on adult illiteracy.
VRC concept was evolved by ISRO by integrating its capabilities in satellite-based communications and of earth observation. ISRO-MSSRF VRCs aim to provide a variety of services emanating from the space systems and other information technology tools to address the needs of rural communities. VRC is a totally interactive VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) based network.
VRC capabilities
To start with, ISRO-MSSRF network consists of four nodes located at Thiruvaiyaru, Thankatchimadam, Sempatti and Chennai. The central node is located at MSSRF office in Chennai. The network uses one of the Extended C-band transponders of ISRO’s satellite INSAT-3A. Users located at one node of this network can interact with others located at another node through video and audio links. Each of the four nodes can be further extended using technologies like Wi-Fi, Wireless and optical fibres. These extensions may serve as local clusters around the areas where the VRC is located.
Mr.Ganesh Raj Deputy Director ,ISRO, Bangalore in the central node at MSSRF - Chennai
The information provided through VRCs will be in the form of geo-referenced land records, natural resources, suitable sites for drinking water as well as sites for recharging to replenish ground water, water harvesting, wastelands that can be reclaimed, rural employment creation, watershed, environment, infrastructure, alternate cropping pattern, etc. By suitably blending the information derived from earth observation satellites with ground derived and weather related information, locale-specific community advisory services can be provided. Community based vulnerability and risk related information, timely early warning and dissemination severe weather related information could lead to a reliable disaster management support at the village level.
By providing tele-education, VRCs act as virtual community centric learning centers and by providing connectivity to specialty hospitals, VRCs can bring the services of expert doctors closer to the villages.
With access to spatial information on land use/land cover, soil and ground water prospects, VRCs can enable the farmers to get support in making query-based decisions. Besides, VRCs will enable online interaction between the local farmers and agricultural scientists. Fishermen can obtain information on sea state and wave heights. Information on governmental schemes, location and farming systems, specific action plans based on weather, community specific advice on soil and water conservation will also be provided by VRCs.
Thus, ISRO-MSSRF VRC can empower the village community with information and services.
By suitably blending the information derived from earth observation satellites with ground derived and weather related information, locale-specific community advisory services can be provided. Community based vulnerability and risk related information, timely early warning and dissemination of severe weather related information could lead to a reliable disaster management support at the village level.By providing tele-education, VRCs act as virtual community centric learning centers and by providing connectivity to specialty hospitals, VRCs can bring the services of expert doctors closer to the villages.
VRCs – informative and interactive
ISRO has also entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kochi, for setting up VRCs. As a follow up to this MOU, several prominent IT industries are associating with Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham by providing ground infrastructure and other IT based systems for the VRCs. To start with, 25 VRCs will be set up across the country. Later, these nodes could be extended further.
Kerala Chief Minister 1800-425-1076 24 Hour helpline for citizens to lodge petitions and tracking petitions to CM
Kisan Call Center 1800-180-1551 These call centers respond to issues raised by farmers, instantly, in the local language.Queries related to agriculture and allied sectors are being addressed through these call centers.
Farmers Helpline Toll Free No: 1800-425-4718 Toll free help line set up in the office of the Minister of Agriculture to help farmers to raise their grievances and register them at Minister’s office.
E-Krishi Helpline Toll Free No: 1800 425 1661 Toll free help line set up for information useful tofarmers including market, demand, price, best practices and expert advice on quality improvement.
CHIAK Helpline Toll Free No: 1800-425-6264 1800-103-7616 Toll free help line set up by Govt of Kerala for information on Health Insurance Schemes to APL/BPL absolute poor people
Citizens Call Centre Toll Free No: 1800-425-1550 Toll free help line set up by Govt of Kerala as
MOIA Helpline Toll Free No: 1800-11-3090 Toll free help line set up by Government of INDIA for all information on People going Overseas / Outside INDIA PRAVASI INDIAN WORKERS Helpline Toll Free No:1800-11-3090 (India) +91 11 4050 3090 (Anywhere in the world)
Weather Helpline 1800-180-1717 Toll free help line set up by Government of INDIA for all information on Weather
This site does not store any files on its server. It only indexes and links to contents provided by other sites. I just digged them through intensive mining and research and don't claim responsibility and credit for any links.
Donation, Sponsorship Request Guidelines
Find out how to request donations or sponsorships from the VRC Network for your organization.
The VRC Network is committed to being part of the Wayanad community and working collaboratively with groups and organizations that desire to make a positive impact on the community as a whole. An opportunity to involve our Network and publications in support of the work of these groups is something we value highly.
Because of the large number of appeals for donations and sponsorships, we must ask you to adhere to the following guidelines when making a request:
1. All requests must be mailed on the organization's letterhead. Email requests will be considered with a lien.
Plz mail requests to:
SPONSORSHIP REQUEST
Village Resource Expert Center - VREC
Kerala State Planning Board, Pattom, Trivandrum
2. All requests should include:
Brief description of the organization
Number of people expected to benefit
Who or what the proceeds/donations will benefit
Specific description of what you are requesting
Daytime phone and email for the person making the request.
3. Donation requests that are typically considered include Video CD subscriptions and copies of our magazines / brochures. There are some exceptions, so if you have something else in mind, please let us know. Except on very rare occasions, we do not offer monetary donations.
5.Regional Coffee Research Station (RCRS) Regional Coffee Research Station,Coffee Board,Chundale.P.O-673123,Wayanad; Dr.M.Selvakumar,Deputy Director ; 04936 - 202256 ;Fax: 04936 - 202256
6.Indian Institute of Spices Research(IISR) Indian Institute of Spices Research,Marikkunnu.P.O-673012,Calicut. Dr.P.Rajeev,Senior Scientist ;0495 - 273294/2373162;Fax: 0495 - 2731187
7.Medical College,Calicut (MCC) Govt. Medical College Hospital, Calicut-673008. Dr.Varghese Thomas,Nodal Officer ; 0495 - 2351152;Fax: 0495 - 2355331
8.Sree Chitra Thirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), Thiruvananthapuram. Dr.Jawahar ,Administrative Medical Officer; 0471 - 2524640 ,2440790
partnership with MSSRF by integrating ISRO's capabilities in satellite communications and satellite based earth observation to disseminate a variety of services emanating from the space systems and other Information Technology tools to address the changing and critical needs of rural communities. The VRC is a totally interactive VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) based network.
education services, the VRCs act as virtual community centric learning centres. At the same time, VRCs will provide connectivity to specialty hospitals thus bringing the services of expert doctors closer to the villages. (Acknowledgement ISRO)
