Microsoft on rural development

The Suggestions section in the Challenges of Sustainability presentation is really good!

The key idea that just like PCOs revolutionized telecom access, Internet kiosks in villages that can do VoIP and data can revolutionize the development in rural areas of developing countries. These kiosks should have a sustainable business model based not just on Internet access, but they should serve as community centers where villagers can gather for medical aid, e-governance applications, communication facilities with other villages, educational information about healthcare and literacy, meetings and chaupals and panchayats, and just about any group activity.

There is tremendous talent and workforce already available to run these Internet kiosks. The communication and IT infrastructure is already available too. Then what are we waiting for?

Microsoft just announced an initiative to set up 50,000 rural IT kiosks in India, in partnership with Dhristee, n-Logue, and Jaikisan. A follow up article on the same initiative is available too.