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Information Kiosks in India

Source: Oxfam

Delivering relevant knowledge and services in local languages is the promise of village kiosks in India, a technology that is expected to spread to every village in this vast nation by the end of 2007. Designed to be accessible with only minimal literacy, kiosks use cartoon maps, menus in native languages and other user-friendly media to simplify operation.

From enabling small farmers to deal directly with produce buyers, to saving a village's entire 150,000 rupee okra crop by diagnosing a rare plant disease, the information kiosks are already having a positive economic impact. Driven by substantial investment from both the private sector and the Indian government, the kiosk movement also gives opportunities to local entrepreneurs who provide the technical support and create new information services. The simple business model, which has shown success in some of India's poorest regions, promises to be applicable to much of the Indian subcontinent.

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