Project information

StatusFinalist
URLGo to website
CategoryEconomic Development
Information based businesses
CountryIndia
Operational areasRural
Target groupsChildren, Youth, Women, Men, Seniors
Access pointsBusiness
Interact,

Project location

Random images Challenge 2008

AKASHGANGA - Empowering rural milk producers with Simple ICTs.

  • Brief description
  • Using simple but appropriate technology to facilitate timely collection of milk and thereby generating higher earnings for milk producers.
  • Vision, Objectives and Goals
  • This project was conceptualised more than ten years ago, when IT awareness in the country was limited to big urban centres only. The fact that illiterate and semi-literate farmers accepted the system and are operating it confidently, is an achievement by itself. Computers are being used for a very basic activity like collection of milk for the past so many years and rural masses are comfortable with it and have reposed their confidence in it. Local entrepreneurs could spot the latent potential and have spread the system in the remote areas, through diligent work and timely support. They kept their system, without any charge for weeks together, for the DCS to try out and feel comfortable with it. The popular and widespread usage of AKASHGANGA breaks the myth that ICT will not help in solving the day-to-day problems of the rural masses. On the contrary, the farmers are very open to adopting new technologies (without being granted any kind of subsidies!), provided it delivers tangible benefits. In this case the benefits can be summarized as: ? Speedier collection of milk (shorter queues!) and timely disbursement of payment. ? Lower prevalence of corrupt practices ? Maintenance of DCS accounts is regularized and on time.
  • Transferability
  • The project is highly scaleable, at least within India, since the basic milk cooperative structure is replicated throughout the country. Industry automation is still in its infancy and barely 10% of total milk production undergoes organized handling. Initially started with 5 locations six years back, AKASHGANGA is currently implemented at more that 700 locations and with millions of farmers dependent on dairying as a supplementary livelihood. This money goes a long way in sustaining farmers and their families. This fact itself shows the adoptability and acceptability of ICT for development and its transferability. The staff of the DCS (who are also farmers and members of the society) operates the system, speedily and accurately. The farmers? newfound familiarity and acceptance of technology, along with their familiarity with the AKASHGANGA brand name, allows SKEPL to quickly integrate newly tested products and services throughout the societies.
  • Project summary
  • AKASHGANGA (meaning ‘The Milky Way’) is being used at the Dairy Cooperative Society (DCS), which is a farmer-owned, grass-root level unit in the cooperative structure. All the farmers (members) of the DCS congregate twice a day at its premises to sell milk. Before AKASHGANGA, all the milk collection activities were performed manually. Due to the climatic conditions, milk would often get spoilt, as producers had to wait in long queues. Secondly, the payment for the milk sold would get held up. The simple technology used in this product has enabled the timely collection of milk and thus, generated higher profits for the producer, now paid well in time. A basic milk collection transaction done by AKASHGANGA comprises : i)Measuring weight of milk with Electronic Weighing Scale ii)Fat testing using Milko Tester iii)Capture of unique member ID by the PC software iv)Printing of pay slip, with all this data and the amount to be paid.