URL: http://www.mission2007.org/milestones/mission2007orissalaunch; http://www.undp.org.in/dmweb/NF_UNDP_KM_Centr_Orissa.pdf

Contact Person(s): Mithulina Chatterjee mithulina.chatterjee@undp.org

Project Period: March 2005 - December 2007

Partner(s): NASSCOM Foundation

With the above background and common interest NASSCOM Foundation (NF) and UNDP entered into a collaboration to jointly undertake the programme on ‘Strengthening of Services Deliveries through Knowledge Centres for realization of Mission-2007-‘ Every village a Knowledge Centre’.

NF and UNDP have agreed upon an integrated long-term approach with the aim of establishing and revitalizing rural knowledge centres that serve a cluster of villages in identified areas. These will be multi-purpose resource centres having single window service delivery mechanisms for training and capacity building, knowledge and information systems, linked to life skill education, livelihoods, e-learning, health, community-based disaster preparedness activities targeting women, children and young people.

This initiative in Orissa is an attempt under the over arching Mission 2007 which is a nation-wide initiative led by ‘National Alliance on ICTs for Basic Human Needs’, launched in New Delhi in July 2004 with an aim of ‘Every Village a Knowledge Centre’ by 2007, the 60th anniversary of the country’s independence. The partnership has many opportunities to establish a unique model of ICT intervention in the rural areas for community empowerment.

Achievements

1. Operationalization of 15 knowledge centres by 1 April 2005, in the first phase of the programme.
2. Development of programme design, training content, and standard operating procedures for knowledge centres, community and centre profiles, mapping of resources and individual work plans for each centre.
3. First round of training of trainers, sensitization and programme development exercises completed for all 15 onsite locations.
4. Development and signing of a detailed three-year project proposal with annual workplan for April 2005-March 2006; based on and using the Phase I roll-out of 15 centres as key leverraging activity, for demonstrating impact on the lives of an estimated 30 million population.

Programme vision is towards establishing, revitalizing and fostering a grid of minimum 150 knowledge centres with outreach to 1500 villages in Orissa by end of 2007, under this joint programme initiative.