Lakhindar Mandal called up to say that three houses were burnt in the Dudhani village of Masaliya Block, Dumka district when an unknown fire broke out in the village. Mandal claims that following his recording on the issue on Jharkhand Mobile Vaani the Block administration became active as the Block Development Officer distributed 25Kgs of ration to each of the three families. The people of Dudhani Village attributed the prompt activity on this matter to JMV and appreciated the platform.
Community Health Worker from Dumri, Kunti Devi called on Jharkhand Mobile Vaani to report that the effect of health oriented discussions on Jharkhand Mobile Vaani is very much visible in her area. She further says that earlier people never used to pay heed to what she had to say in the matters of health, always used to disregard the iron-folic acid tablets she had to offer thinking that if it is for free it would be ineffective, but now, she claims that after listening to the health hour on JMV people have started understanding her point as the messages reinforce what she has to say. Additionally, people themselves come to her asking for condoms, sanitary napkins and health supplements. She says that if platforms like JMV that converge knowledge are there to aid her work, then she can work in a better manner and potentially take the government schemes to the last mile.
Sanjay Sajan from Koderma called up to express his gratitude towards Jharkhand Mobile Vaani on the issue of banning the sale of illicit alcohol. Elaborating more on the matter he says that after a lot of grievances were shared on Jharkhand Mobile Vaani sharing the menace of illicit alcohol, the Jharkhand Mobile Vaani team wrote a letter to the district administration following which police arrested the people selling illicit alcohol. Therefore, Sajan thanks Jharkhand Mobile Vaani for providing them with a platform to share their concern and furthering those concerns that lead to action.
Our listeners reported that deliveries have been happening in bathrooms in Jharkhand. The data was shared with the regional media and several articles, including the one below, were published which created significant pressure on the administration to address the issues. Original source here.
झारखंड में स्वास्थ्य सुविधा नदारद, बाथरूम में होते हैं प्रसव
प्रेषित समय :18:54:34 PM / Wed, Sep 18th, 2013
विकास सिन्हा, रांची. झारखंड गठन के 12 वर्षों के बावजूद स्वास्थ्य सुविधा नदारद है. लोगों को कई किलोमीटर दूर स्वास्थ्य सुविधा उपकेंद्रों में इलाज के लिए जाना होता है. इन केंद्रों में भी स्वास्थ्य सविधा उपलब्ध नहीं होने के कारण लोग निजी अस्पताल में जाने को विवश हैं. झारखंड ग्राम वाणी द्वारा कराये गये कैंपेन में कई बातें निकल कर आयी है. झारखंड मोबाइल वाणी के मोबाइल नंबर पर कॉल कर अपनी विचार को बयान दर्ज कराया है. झारखंड मोबाइल वाणी पिछले 27 अप्रैल से अभियान संचालित की, जिसमें स्वास्थ्य सुविधाओं से संबंधित कई प्रश्न पूछे गये. ग्राम वाणी एक निःशुल्क संस्था है, जिसके कारण लोग इस नंबर पर कॉल कर अपने बातों, दुख और सुखों सहित सामाजिक विचारों का आदान-प्रदान करते हैं.
झारखंड ग्राम वाणी ने अपने कंपेन के दौरान क्वालिटी ऑफ कयर, आधारभूत संरचना, जीवन रक्षक दवा और सुविधाएं अपने गांवों से अस्पताल की दूरी आदि पर कई प्रश्न पूछे, इसे कैंपेन में जो बातें निकल कर आयी, वह चौंकाने वाली हैं.
झारखंड मोबाइल वाणी में लोगों ने बताया कि झारखंड के सुदूरवर्ती पंचायतों में स्वास्थ्य सुविधा की कोई सुविधा उपलब्ध नहीं है. धनबाद के बाघमारा से उमेश तुरी के अनुसार जिले में कई स्वास्थ्य केंद्रों से पंचायतों की दूरी 10-15 किलोमीटर की दूरी पर है. इस केंद्र में स्वास्थ्य सुविधा उपलब्ध नहीं होने के कारण लोग बाहर इलाज कराने को विवश हैं. बोकारो जिले के नवाडीह पंचायत से 25 किलोमीटर की दूरी पर स्वास्थ्य केंद्र लोगों को उपलबध है. इस कारण लोगों को परेशानी का सामना करना पड़ रहा है.
झारखंड मोबाइल वाणी के कैंपेन में जो बातें निकल कर आयी हैं, उसके अनुसार 50 प्रतिशत लोगों ने कहा कि स्वास्थ्य केंद्रों में स्वास्थ्य सुविधा बदहाल है. स्वास्थ्य केंद्रों में जांच घर तक उपलब्ध नहीं है. कराये गये कैंपेन के अनुसार 86 प्रतिशत लोगों ने कहा कि झारखंड के स्वास्थ्य केंदों में पेयजल और शौचालय की कमी है. जिससे इलाज कराने में परेशानी का सामना करना पड़ता है. गिरिडीह के बेंगाबाद के लक्ष्मण राम का कहना है कि उग्रवाद प्रभावित जिले होने के कारण स्वास्थ्य केंद्रों में सुविधा उपलब्ध नहीं है. कई बार इन स्वास्थ्य केंद्रों के बाथरूम में प्रसव कराये गये हैं. गिरिडीह जिले में स्वास्थ्य केंद्रों में पहुंच के लिए कोई कनेक्टीविटी तक उपलब्ध नहीं है.
इस संबंध में समाजसेवी और पंचायत विषेशज्ञ विष्णु राजगढ़िया कहते हैं कि झारखंड में स्थायी सरकार नहीं होने के कारण स्वास्थ्य सुविधा के क्षेत्र में काम नहीं हो सका है. लेकिन राज्य बनने के बाद कई योजनाओं को धरातल पर उतारने के प्रयास चल रहे हैं. जब तक स्वास्थ्य संबंधी योजनाओं को धरातल पर नहीं उतारा जाता, तब तक लोगों को स्वास्थ्य सुविधा आसानी से नहीं मिल पायेगी. हालांकि सरकारी अधिकारी भी इस बात से सहमत होते हैं कि उग्रवाद प्रभावित जिलों में स्वास्थ्य सुविधा उपलब्ध कराना टेढ़ी खीर है.
In May 2013 Gram Vaani worked with CEMCA (Commonwealth Educational Media Center for Asia) to organize a workshop on how educational institutions can easily set up an Internet radio station on their campus, supplemented with Mobile Vaani based interactions. Web radio is an increasingly popular, low-cost option for community radio given the complex legal processes that face organizations seeking a local broadcast license from government authorities. The workshop was attended by over 10 institutions.
CEMCA has also published a basic manual for audio streaming and establishing a web radio station, using open source software tools, written by Gram Vaani’s Zahir Koradia. Accompanying the book is a DVD containing all the related enabling software. The manual is also available in PDF and ePub versions from both COL’s and CEMCA’s websites (CC-BY-SA).
Gram Vaani conducted the Oxfam Free Medicine Campaign in partnership with Oxfam, where GV solicited feedback and comments from people in the context of the unfulfilled promise made by our honb’le Prime Minister during his last year’s Independence Day speech, where he promised free medicines to the people. However, this promise is still to be implemented and people, specially the rural poor are struggling to get basic health services and medicines at the grass-root level. Gram Vani did this campaign across 5 states with Community Radio Stations over Mobile Vaani Partnership programme.
Shyampat Das from Chandankyari Bokaro tells Jharkhand Mobile Vaani that one villager’s wife is seriously ill but the treatment in Government hospitals will cost around Rs. 25000. The poor villager does not have so much money due to which his wife is unable to get proper treatment and is fighting between life and death. He has sold all his belongings to get money for her treatment but still it is not enough. Shyampat appeals to the Prime Minister that he must understand plight of the poor and should distribute free medicines to improve their lives and health.
Kailash Giri from Chandrapura, Bokaro shares that if free medicines were provided in their Panchayat Taranari, then lives of thousands could have been saved. Babujan Miyan from his village Taranari, did not have money to buy medicines and lost his life. Another woman of their village, Kaushalya Devi mortgaged her land for her treatment and has not yet been able to repay her debt. Many villagers are taking loans against their lands for their treatment. If free medicines are provided by Government, it will reduce burden of the poor. Kailash appeals the Prime Minister through Jharkhand Mobile Vaani that he should stick to his promise and distribute free medicines for the poor.
Vasudev Turi from Nawadih Bokaro says that Manmohan Singh made an empty promise of free medicines and healthy villages, but did not have any such intentions. Though many schemes are rolled out for the underprivileged, but they are mere show on the outside. Huge sums of money are spent on these schemes but the benefits do not reach the bottom of the pyramid. The money meant for schemes is lost in scams and corruption. Daily living is becoming increasingly difficult for the poor. And now the Government is obstructing the scheme of free medicines that can relieve the poor from huge burden. Increasing prices of medicines has made it difficult for the poor to buy medicines for curing illnesses. Millions of poor are afflicted by diseases like T.B., malaria and lose their lives due to not getting medicines. The Government, considering the health of the nation and especially poor population, should provide free generic medicines in Government Health centers
Kunti Devi, Sahiya, from Gram Panchayat, Sankardih, Giridih district says that due to scarcity of money she was unable to get treatment. In her message she says that she has to buy expensive medicines, which she can only buy selectively because she doesn’t have the money to buy all the medicines prescribed to her. Due to this neither is she able to provide for a balanced diet for her family (inflation), nor she is able to send her children to schools that can impart quality education. Providing further insights into her story, she tells that when she goes to the government hospital to get her check up done, the medical superintendent tells her to buy medicines from a private chemist since free medicines are unavailable in the hospital. Giving more details about her family income she says that since she is a Sahiya she doesn’t earn that much and her remuneration is due for a long time now. Her husband is a private tutor who takes tuitions and earns Rs. 3000/- monthly. Within that money these days it is very difficult to run household let alone paying for medicines and other unforeseen expenditures. She concludes the message by informing the people that she has to consult a “jholachhap” (un-registered/informal medical practitioner)for her treatment.
Birbal Mahto from Baghmara Dhanbad shares that today unemployment is widespread in villages. Villagers prefer going to the cities for work rather than do agriculture because of low incomes and inflation. Their incomes are meager and irregular so if they fall ill they cannot afford medicines. Under such conditions the Government should provide medicines for the poor so that their lives are saved. Birbal appeals to the Prime Minister that he must fulfill his promise and implement the scheme of free medicines in healthcare centers.
Read the original source from the previous week here.
Voices from the Mobile Vaani community echo how the Government has done nothing towards unemployment, shortage of doctors, municipal negligence causing disease outbreaks but seem unreasonably confident in their (grossly inaccurate) evaluation of the poverty line.
Deepak Kumar from Sadar division of Hazaribagh district, informs Jharkhand Mobile Vaani, that there have been no provisions for the unemployed since Jharkhand became an independent state and their pleas have been neglected. Jharkhand government has failed in 13 years to do justice for the unemployed. So the jobless youth of Jharkhand has much hope from the Chief Minister Hemant Soren. Despite a lot of empty vacancies, the government so far has failed to fill those vacancies and a majority of youth still remains unemployed. Because of this, the youth of the state either leave or take to illicit means. The caller also stated that unemployment and extreme poverty are the major causes of growing Naxalism in the state. Therefore, they hope that the Chief Minister of Jharkhand will take action to provide employment to people and restores hope in the youth.
Radhu Rai Mahuda from Dhanbad, giving his opinions on the recent report of the Tendulkar committee, remarks on Jharkhand Mobile Vaani that it is ludicrous to regard people with daily income of Rs. 28-32 as ‘not poor’. He informs that the current Government promised they will control inflation within 90 days of coming into power. Not only has the Government failed to take any actions to reduce inflation but such reports have left the public appalled.
Manoj Kumar from Kanke block, Ranchi district called up to put up a question to Dr. Amartya Sen. He questions Dr. Sen saying that there is a huge gap among the rich and poor of the country and how it can be resolved. India is a developing country, needs development in all its spheres. Just as there are limits for people living below poverty line, there should be a similar concept for the rich, that he calls as “Amiri Rekha”. He also asks him the ways to reduce corruption, the ways to strengthen the value of rupee against dollar, poor quality of the mid day meal being served in the government schools, Kashmiri Pandits unable to feel safe and secure in their own villages and the national banks being incapable of collecting debts from people.
Purushottam Kumar from Birni division, Girdih district tells Jharkhand Mobile Vaani that there are many Medical universities in which thousands of doctors are trained. Every year around 15000 doctors get a degree. But most doctors live in urban areas, due to which the villagers have to travel long distances. Number of doctors in villages is very less as compared to the urban areas. He stated that this creates a problematic scenario for the villagers who stay in remote areas with limited means and resources, since traveling to urban cities for them entails both time and expenses. In an already collapsing health infrastructure, this nonetheless adds to their woes and many a time leaves their diseases untreated.
Shivpujan Hazari from Dhanbad, Baghmara talks about the plight of the poor on Jharkhand Mobile Vaani. He describes how the the life of the people in Belakhonda Tetulia Panchayat, Madhupur, has been affected by the rains. There is water logging everywhere in the village due to which flies, mosquitoes and worms are increasing causing an outbreak of diseases. Many people are falling ill and people are not even getting appropriate medicines or mosquito nets and the municipal authority does not spray bleaching powder. Shivpujan requests through Jharkhand Mobile Vaani that proper aid and health related services are provided in Tetulia Panchayat at the earliest, to avoid outbreak of an epidemic.
Next week: Voices from Jharkhand districts on the status of health infrastructure and facilities and the challenges they are facing.
Feature image courtesy: Gram Vaani
[Editor’s Note] Each week, The Alternative will be featuring the best messages from Gram Vaani’s Mobile Vaani Platform, a voice-based social platform that enables remote communities to achieve a 2-way communication between listener groups and various stakeholders. These messages will be featured on the basis of the most pertinent and urgent issues in the districts of Jharkhand, voiced by the grassroots community members.
Where would it have happened that an unknown person from Jharkhand could question the Union minister of Education? We made this possible through our technology. Download our case study on education campaign conducted by OurSay in partnership with Gram Vaani. Read excerpts below.
In our everyday lives we see our things that bother us, things that we feel aren’t right, things that need to change. But then, silently retire the concern and accept reality the way it is thinking ‘What can I do, it’s not in my hands.’ We often find the word “people” missing from our democracy. In the Government led systems our problems, views, opinions are lost somewhere as and we become quite when no one’s listening.
The advent of social media has changed this trend dramatically as more and more people have started raising their voices and are demanding a change. Social media has empowered the common man of urban India. However, this demography constitutes just a drop in the sea as 80 % of India’s population lives in villages which is partitioned by digital divide. Rural India, beset by illiteracy, poverty and lack of mass media and internet is alienated to social media.
Even though through social media urban India is able to raise voice and share their views with one another, how often do we get an opportunity to question our ministers and Government directly let alone for rural India? Never could an unknown layman from rural Jharkhand ever imagine putting up a question directly to the Union Education minister and get an answer.
We wanted that public views are considered in functioning and policy making of Government and that our voices are heard and responded by the authorities. To make this a reality OurSay in partnership with Gram Vaani, organized an education campaign to solicit public views about the Future of higher education. OurSay is a social media platform in Australia that enables public debate with the leaders
The education campaign was run for 6 days in the last week of April. In the campaign on Mobile Vaani platform in Jharkhand, we invited public to record questions they would like to ask the Minister for State, Human Resource and Development, Shashi Tharoor. Hundreds of people from different districts of Jharkhand called in to Mobile Vaani to record questions that they wished to ask the minister. Questions on multiple issues in the education sector were raised on Mobile Vaani.
The questions pertained to varied domains of education such as Policy framework, linguistic enquiry, system for special cases, Right to education, commercialization of education, International university standards of brain drain and, infrastructure of the school.
Global perspective on Quality of higher education in the country
“Why doesn’t even a single Indian University figure in World’s Top 100?”
Khushi Prasad, 28 years, from Baghmara Block, Dhanbad called up to ask the reason behind no Indian University being able to secure a place in World’s Top 100 Universities. He further cited a survey carried out by the Time Magazine about Asia’s top 25 Universities where Tokyo University occupies the first position. He expressed his disappointment on no Indian university being able to make it to one of the top 25 spots figured there. In light of these depressing facts he questioned Dr. Tharoor about the reasons for no Indian University being able to make it to the top spots, casting serious doubts on the credibility and quality of higher education in the country.
Janardan Mahto, 43 years, Baghmara Block, Dhanbad called up to ask that the government has adopted dual faced policies in the regard of education. Firstly according to RTE compulsory education can only be availed of as a right, until class eight. On one hand there are the Government schools where quality of education is very poor and on the other hand there are private schools designed for the wards of rich families which take good care of the education of the students paying huge fees. All of us are aware of the attitude of Private schools regarding the intake of students from poor families. May I ask Dr. Tharoor, why such discrimination has been given a green flag, when both the poor and the children from rich family has equal rights to get quality education under Right to education Act? Are the children of poor lesser citizens of this country?
Jai Prakash Singh from Sarath block, Deoghar district called up to report about the deteriorating quality of education in Jharkhand. According to him, even after twelve years of Jharkhand being granted statehood, no concrete changes have been seen in the education system of the state. The quality of teaching staff in Government schools has remained the same, if not deteriorated, through the last decade. He shared his concern for the widespread corruption in the education system and few powerful from the Government corridors framing policies, least cared about the welfare of the people at the bottom line. He concluded the message by requesting Dr. Tharoor to set up immediate enquiry into such irregularities in the education system.
Parmeshwar Kumar Chauhaan, 23 years, Dhanbad and Rupak Mahto, 32 years, Kherabera Village, Topchanchi, Dhanbad says that English is an international language which is required at every step in the globalized world. However, all the government schools of Jharkhand are Hindi medium and there is no facility for the students to inculcate good english reading, writing and conversation skills. Since, it is the right of the children to get quality education that helps them make progress and move ahead in this competitive world, he questions Dr. Tharoor, asking him how he is planning to overcome this challenge. He concludes by saying that as most of the Indian population resides in the rural areas, if we have to make the Indian education system a world class education system, this is the one of the very important questions that we need to answer.
Ashok Azaad, 37 years, Tupkadih, Bokaro and Arvind Prasad Khushwaha, 30 years, Doranda village, Dhanwar block, Giridih district called to ask that what can be done to improve the infrastructural situations and quality of education in the government schools (middle and high schools), in hard to reach rural areas the teacher to student ratio is even lower than 1:200? There are no proper facilities for doing practicals and the contractual teachers are most of the times on strike, demanding permanency and wage hikes. The teachers are most of times distracted by the other government schemes such as mid-day meal or census election duties that the studies of children suffer. What can be done to control this?
From a host of questions, two best were chosen to be asked by Oursay. Oursay posed the two chosen questions to Shashi Tharoor which he answered over Google Hangout on 9th of May.
Read the two questions asked and their answers given by Shashi Tharoor, below:
Parmeshwar Kumar Chauhaan, 23 years, Dhanbad/ Rupak Mahto, 32 years, Kherabera Village, Topchanchi, Dhanbad
English is an international language which is required at every step in the globalized world. However, all the government schools of Jharkhand are Hindi medium and there is no facility for the students to inculcate good english reading, writing and conversation skills. Since, it is the right of the children to get quality education that helps them make progress and move ahead in this competitive world, how do you think this challenge can be overcome? As most of the Indian population resides in the rural areas, if we have to make the Indian education system a world class education system, this is the one of the very important questions that we need to answer.
Shashi Tharoor : While there is a lot of discussion suggesting the power of grasping concepts easily in one’s own language but in the globalized world English is indeed necessary. If young Parmeshwar wants to study in an institution such as JNU it would be next to impossible for him to sit through the lectures. On the other hands, the professors are not accustomed to taking classes in Hindi, so there is a complete mismatch. This is a very relevant point raised by Parmeshwar because in the rural areas english is indeed poorly taught. We really need to look into this aspect.
Ashok Azaad, 37 years, Tupkadih, Bokaro/ Arvind Prasad Khushwaha, 30 years, Doranda village, Dhanwar block, Giridih district
What can be done to improve the infrastructural situations and quality of education in the government schools (middle and high schools).In hard to reach rural areas the teacher to student ratio is even lower than 1:200? There are no proper facilities for doing practicals and the contractual teachers are most of the times on strike, demanding permanency and wage hikes. The teachers are most of times distracted by the other government schemes such as mid-day meal or census or election duties that the studies of children suffer. What can be done to control this?
Shashi Tharoor – It is true that the rates of teacher absenteeism in India are very high. It is unfortunate and a punishable act, I highly condemn this. To say that the teachers abandon their teaching duties to help with mid day meals should not be done. There is a separate component for mid day meal cooks and helpers and if teachers are using this as an excuse not to teach in class, it should not be done. And to say that teachers are given election duties, elections come once in 5 years, that’s a fair demand from the democracy because in most of the rural areas schools are used as polling booth. Care is taken that elections don’t clash with examinations.
Gram Vaani is a social technology company which builds information and communication platforms to maintain the flow of information in the society. Mobile Vaani is a unique social media platform for the bottom of the pyramid currently operating in the remote areas of Jharkhand. It is addressed at those communities who do not have economic means to pay for internet or for devices that can connect to the internet. This social media platform runs exclusively on Mobile networks and generates rich voice/audio content that has generated great traction in communities who have never had any access to known mass mediums like radio, TV, Cinema or the press.
The majority of India’s rural population (some 770 million people or about 70 percent) constitute the vast majority of the poor in the country whose major livelihood is agriculture. Indian Agriculture contributes to 18.6 per cent of India’s GDP, and approximately 59 per cent Indians derive their livelihood from the agricultural sector. India’s food security depends on producing cereal crops, as well as increasing its production of fruits, vegetables and milk to meet the demands of a growing population with rising incomes.
Despite the significance of agriculture sector in India, due to the various challenges posing the sector it is declining. Initiatives to enhance the agricultural productivity, competitiveness and rural growth are being taken. Introduction of Information and Communications technology (ICT) has emerged as a major source for development in India, and especially in agriculture sector. ICT enables smooth dissemination of required information at the right time which is crucial to improve productivity, plan better, and therefore deliver better results. This revolution in information technology has made access to information easy and cost-effective.
Though ICT has a huge potential, ICT models have certain barriers. There is a huge digital divide between the urban and rural population. Most of the ICT models are based on internet and computers, which are not accessible to the rural population due to low income levels and high levels of illiteracy. Along with limits the regular reach to the majority because various reasons like insufficient power availability in rural areas, poor ICT infrastructure, ICT illiteracy, non availability of timely relevant content, non-integration of services, poor advisory services and lack of localization, and in particular non availability of agricultural information kiosks/ knowledge centers at the grass root level.
To bridge this gap the options of voice based communications technology of mobile and community radios are a powerful, feasible and effective mediums. Especially telecommunications is transforming the rural agriculture space rapidly. It plays a vital role in contributing to the empowerment of the farmers living in villages.
ICT for Agriculture boon
Mobile phones are omnipresent and cost effective means to revolutionize agriculture in India. According to the Government of India census 2011, mobile penetration in rural India stands at an astounding 51 percent. Mobile phones therefore can be effectively utilized for myriad purposes including generating, processing, transmitting, disseminating, sorting, archiving and retrieving critical information and data.
Digital Green -an NGO working to improve the social, economic, and environmental sustainability of small farmers in India has developed innovative ways to improve the Indian agriculture system.
Digital Green has pioneered a novel process of creating local videos of farmers speaking on agriculture practices in their area. Their theory of change is that the diffusion of best practices happens faster when videos are more contextual, or the viewers can relate to them, for example by seeing their neighbouring farmer as being featured in the video. In partnership with NGOs, Digital Green screens these videos using pico-projectors in small groups of 6-10 farmers. Together with the Ford Foundation, they did a small project on using mobile phones with projectors that were given to a few key people in each village, and played videos to friends and associates of the people.
To understand the role of rural social networks in disseminating information better, Digital Green and Ford Foundation organized a workshop.
The workshop saw proliferation of innovative ideas and methods to improve agriculture. Different organization groups shared their insights and discussed their state-of-the-art practices, including expert advisory services like mKisan by CABI, Reuters Market Light, and IFFCO Kisan Sanchar Limited (IKSL). Discussions for media related services included Gram Vaani’s Mobile Vaani network, and PRADAN’sinteresting experiment with using projector and mobile phones to screen local videos.
Changing the face of Indian Agriculture
At the workshop, the founder of Gram Vaani, Dr. Aaditeshwar Seth presented report on the findings from the media discussion group. The group brought out several interesting aspects of voice and video based media for agriculture:
Localized content available on-demand is key: Localization adds context, which helps make the messages more relevant and understandable for the people. Feedback channels to convey user demand are key to respond to user requests, by understanding their specific needs.
Voice and video are complementary: While voice based content is easier to create and edit, it is good for Q&A like purposes, and to get quick feedback from the community. But video is valuable when it comes to tutoring farmers on best practices. Video delivery to the last mile is however hard because of poor Internet connectivity — the voice divide has been bridged, but the digital divide still remains.
Broad media systems such as Mobile Vaani are very relevant when it comes to agriculture, since agriculture does not happen in isolation. As we have seen on JMV, due to intense rural-urban migration, the face of agriculture has changed — much agriculture is done by women than by men, and in fact our findings indicate that up to 50% of the aggregate work done by women is on agriculture. This means that a discussion on improving agricultural patterns cannot happen without a discussions on gender inequality, discussions on migration patterns, the failure of livelihood based government schemes to create local employment during agricultural off season, etc. This is probably the biggest contribution that broad community media systems such as Mobile Vaani bring to any specific knowledge vertical.
All you have to do is imagine Mobile Vaani as a horizontal platform on which various innovative technologies can be deployed to address the needs of the farmers and the farming community in India to make a positive impact on this sector and therefore on the country’s GDP.
Apart from this Gram Vaani Technology offers a slew of very interesting voice based platforms that can be used for:
Mobile learning and training platforms
Information dissemination platforms
Setting up helplines to answer agriculture specific queries of farmers
Most farmers struggle with getting accurate and localised information on their farming practices, on crop diversification or opportunities for new cash crops. However, they find information that they get on centralised helplines too technical and not contextual enough. The result: 1 in 2 farmers that we surveyed in Bihar told us that fertiliser shops are their go-to sources in case they want information on seeds, fertilisers and what quantity of fertilisers to use, or what to do in case of crop loss.We collaborated with Digital Green and Pradan to offer simple, contextual and easy-to-implement advice on farming techniques and diversification. We hope to expand this service to more crops and on the ignored but critical issue of nutrition of farmers themselves and their families.
In May 2013 Gram Vaani worked with 
The advent of social media has changed this trend dramatically as more and more people have started raising their voices and are demanding a change. Social media has empowered the common man of urban India. However, this demography constitutes just a drop in the sea as 80 % of India’s population lives in villages which is partitioned by digital divide. Rural India, beset by illiteracy, poverty and lack of mass media and internet is alienated to social media.
English speaking skills required
Parmeshwar Kumar Chauhaan, 23 years, Dhanbad/ Rupak Mahto, 32 years, Kherabera Village, Topchanchi, Dhanbad 
Mobile phones are omnipresent and cost effective means to revolutionize agriculture in India. According to the Government of India census 2011, mobile penetration in rural India stands at an astounding 51 percent. Mobile phones therefore can be effectively utilized for myriad purposes including generating, processing, transmitting, disseminating, sorting, archiving and retrieving critical information and data.
has pioneered a novel process of creating local videos of farmers speaking on agriculture practices in their area. Their theory of change is that the diffusion of best practices happens faster when videos are more contextual, or the viewers can relate to them, for example by seeing their neighbouring farmer as being featured in the video. In partnership with NGOs, Digital Green screens these videos using pico-projectors in small groups of 6-10 farmers. Together with the Ford Foundation, they did a small project on using mobile phones with projectors that were given to a few key people in each village, and played videos to friends and associates of the people.
Voice and video are complementary: While voice based content is easier to create and edit, it is good for Q&A like purposes, and to get quick feedback from the community. But video is valuable when it comes to tutoring farmers on best practices. Video delivery to the last mile is however hard because of poor Internet connectivity — the voice divide has been bridged, but the digital divide still remains.
