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Development Gateway award for ITC's eChuopal
ITC’s eChoupal has bagged the Development Gateway Award, 2005.
BY OUR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT
19 September, 2005, Beijing: eChoupal has bagged the $100,000 award for its impact in improving farmers’ livelihood by providing information on marketing their products.
The award was presented in Beijing on September 16, at the Development Gateway Forum 2005. ITC chairman Y C Deveshwar announced that eChoupal will launch a slew of educational services soon.
Deveshwar said that through the delivery of essential healthcare and educational information, ITC could extend the benefits of eChoupal more widely
throughout the country.
eChoupal, established in June 200, serves 3.5 million farmers in about 31,000 villages. About 5,200 internet kiosks have been set up to enable farmers to learn management techniques, order fertilisers, check prices of various commodities and also sell products online. This has resulted in an increase in earnings of up to 20 per cent, a statement said.
The prize was won last year by Grameen Bank-Village Phone for aiding rural women entrepreneurs to start small businesses through wireless phones in Bangladesh. The prize, then called Petersberg Prize, is promoted by T-Systems of Germany. EChoupal emerged winner from a list of 135 nominees, a statement said.
The Development Gateway Forum 2005 was organised by the Government of China, Development Gateway, a Washington-based public foundation, and the World Bank.
An estimated 10 million farmers in 100, 000 villages are expected to reap the benefits of ITC eChoupal by the year 2010.
eChoupal was conceived by the International Business Division of ITC as a supply chain to provide value addition to its customers. The division one the major exporters of agricultural commodities in the country.
BY OUR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT
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