India's rural areas are virtually untouched by modern technology. Steady, year-round jobs are scarce. Information about employment opportunities, or crop prices, or the availability of candidates for the country's traditional arranged marriages is hard to come by. Enter the Internet, in the form of a start-up known as
TARAhaat.com. It is attempting to reproduce online the colorful
"haat" or market that takes place regularly in nearly every Indian village. But because this haat is digital, it can share information, goods, services, and even potential bridegrooms across a whole region, pooling the assets and market potential of many villages.
TARAhaat's Founder, Ashok Khosla, describes the new venture as the first Internet service designed from the ground up for the needs of rural village users. Khosla, a well-regarded development expert who for years has headed non-profit development organizations, believes the new venture can be both a successful business as well as a tool to help those it serves lift themselves out of poverty. Villagers will access the portal at a village cyberkiosk, owned and operated by a local entrepreneur, using a computer that displays pictures, diagrams, and simple explanations in local languages. The service plans to piggyback on India's extensive rural phone network, supplemented where necessary by satellite links. It will provide information on such vital matters as land records, health clinics, and jobs. Users will be able to shop for farming needs such as seeds and machinery as well as household items such as bicycles or refrigerators, and find buyers for crops and handicrafts without making arduous trips to a city. The venture will operate initially in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, but plans to expand throughout India within a few
years.
TARAhaat hopes to make money and to create jobs, raise incomes, and unlock the purchasing power of rural communities. The company believes that opening villages to the world outside will widen perspectives, enabling India's people to become enlightened citizens and more active participants in shaping India's future.
TARAhaat's Founder, Ashok Khosla, describes the new venture as the first Internet service designed from the ground up for the needs of rural village users. Khosla, a well-regarded development expert who for years has headed non-profit development organizations, believes the new venture can be both a successful business as well as a tool to help those it serves lift themselves out of poverty. Villagers will access the portal at a village cyberkiosk, owned and operated by a local entrepreneur, using a computer that displays pictures, diagrams, and simple explanations in local languages. The service plans to piggyback on India's extensive rural phone network, supplemented where necessary by satellite links. It will provide information on such vital matters as land records, health clinics, and jobs. Users will be able to shop for farming needs such as seeds and machinery as well as household items such as bicycles or refrigerators, and find buyers for crops and handicrafts without making arduous trips to a city. The venture will operate initially in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, but plans to expand throughout India within a few
years.
TARAhaat hopes to make money and to create jobs, raise incomes, and unlock the purchasing power of rural communities. The company believes that opening villages to the world outside will widen perspectives, enabling India's people to become enlightened citizens and more active participants in shaping India's future. 