ಉಮೇಶನ ಮದುವೆ

ನನ್ನ ನಲ್ಮೆಯ ಗೆಳೆಯ ಗೆಳತಿಯರೆ,
ನಾನು ಮತ್ತು ನನ್ನ ಸ್ನೇಹಿತರು, ನಮ್ಮ ಮತ್ತೊಬ್ಬಸ್ನೇಹಿತನಾದ ಉಮೇಶ್ ಚಂದ್ರು ರಂಗಸ್ವಾಮಿ ಅವರ ಆರತಕ್ಷತೆಗೆ ದಿನಾಂಕ 24 ನೇ ಅಕ್ಟೋಬರ್ ನಂದು ಹೊರಟು ತಿರುಗಿ ಬಂದ ಒಂದು ಸಣ್ಣ ಲೇಖನ ನಿಮ್ಮ ಮುಂದೆ ಇಡುತ್ತ್ತಿದ್ದೇನೆ

ಉಮೇಶ್ ಮತ್ತು ಪಂಕಜ ಅವರ ಆರತಕ್ಷತೆ ದಿ:24 ರಂದು ಮತ್ತು ಮದುವೆ ದಿ:25 ರಂದು ನಿಶ್ಚಯವಾಗಿತ್ತು. ಅದರಂತೆ ಉಮೇಶನು ಮುಂಚೆಯೇ ನಮಗೆ ಇದರ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ತಿಳಿಸಿದ್ದನು. ಹಾಗೂ ಎರಡಕ್ಕೂ ಹಾಜರಾಗುವಂತೆ ನಮ್ಮನೆಲ್ಲಾ ಆಹ್ವಾನಿಸಿದ್ದನು. ಆದರೂ ನಾವು ಮದುವೆಗೆ / ಆರತಕ್ಷತೆಗೆ ಹೋಗಬೇಕಾ ಎನ್ನುವುದು ನಿಶ್ಚಯವಾಗಲು ಕೆಲವೇ ದಿನಗಳು ಬೇಕಾಯಿತು. ಕೊನೆಗೆ ಶುಕ್ರವಾರ (ಆರತಕ್ಷತೆಯ ಹಿಂದಿನ ದಿನ) ಮಧ್ಯಾನ್ಹ ಸರಿ ಸುಮಾರು 3 ಗಂಟೆಯ ಹೊತ್ತಿಗೆ ಹರಟೆಯ (CHAT) ಮೂಲಕ ಆರತಕ್ಷತೆ ಗೆ ಹೋಗುವುದು ಎಂದು ನಿಶ್ಚಯವಾಯಿತು. ಇಲ್ಲಿ ನಿಶ್ಚಯವಾದ ಪ್ರಕಾರ ನಾನು, ಕೃಷ್ಣ ಆಚಾರ್ಯ ಜನಾರ್ಧನ ಮತ್ತು ಚಂದನ್ ಒಂದು ಲಘು ಮೋಟಾರ್ ವಾಹನದ (CAR) ಮೂಲಕ, ಪ್ರಸನ್ನ, ಸುರೇಂದ್ರ, ಮಂಜುಳ ಮತ್ತು ಕೃಷ್ಣ ರಂಗಸ್ವಾಮಿ ಮತ್ತೊಂದು ಲಘು ಮೋಟಾರ್ ವಾಹನದ ಮೂಲಕ, ರಘುನಂಧನ್ ಮತ್ತು ನಮ್ಮ C.M.C ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಯ ಸ್ನೇಹಿತರು ಮತ್ತೊಂದು ಲಘು ಮೋಟಾರ್ ವಾಹನದ ಮೂಲಕ, ಒಟ್ಟು 3 ಲಘು ಮೋಟಾರ್ ವಾಹನದ ಮೂಲಕ, ನೆಲಮಂಗಲಕ್ಕೆ ಪಯಣ ಬೆಳೆಸುವುದು ಎಂದು ನಿರ್ಧರಿಸಿದೆವು.

ಶನಿವಾರ ಬೆಳಿಗ್ಗೆ ಚಂದನ್ ನನಗೆ ದೂರವಾಣಿ ಕರೆ ಮಾಡಿ, ತಾನು ಬರುವುದಿಲ್ಲವೆಂದು, ಹಾಗೂ ನೀವೇ ಆರತಕ್ಷೆತೆ ಗೆ ಹೋಗುವುದು ಎಂದು ತಿಳಿಸಿದನು. ಅದರಂತೆ ನಾನು ಕೂಡ ಕೃಷ್ಣ ಆಚಾರ್ಯ ಜನಾರ್ಧನ ಅವರಿಗೆ ಕರೆ ಮಾಡಿ ತಿಳಿಸಿದೆನು. ಮತ್ತು ನಾವಿಬ್ಬರೇ ಹೋಗೋಣ ಎಂದು ತಿಳಿಸಿದನು. ಅದರಂತೆ ಅವನು ಸಂಜೆ 6 ಗಂಟೆಗೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಮನೆ ಹತ್ತಿರ, ಹೊಸಕೆರೆಹಳ್ಳಿ ವರ್ತುಲ ರಸ್ತೆ ಬಳಿ ಬಂದನು. ಇನ್ನೇನು ಹೊರಡಬೇಕು ಎನ್ನುವಸ್ಟರಲ್ಲಿ, ಸುರೇಂದ್ರ ಅವರಿಂದ ಕರೆ ಬಂದಿತು. ನಾನು ಅವರಿಗೆ ನೆಲಮಂಗಲಕ್ಕೆ ಹೋಗುವ ರಸ್ತೆಯ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ತಿಳಿಸಿದೆನು. ಅವರು ಆಗಲೇ ರಾಜಾಜಿ ನಗರದಲ್ಲಿ ಇದ್ದರು. ನಾವು ಅಲ್ಲಿಗೆ ಸೇರುವುದು ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಸಮಯ ತೆಗೆದುಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದು. ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ಅವರು ಆಗಲೇ ಮದುವೆ ಮನೆಯ ಕಡೆ ಹೊರಟರು. ಇತ್ತ ನಾವು ನಾಯಂದನ ಹಳ್ಳಿ ತಿರುವಿಗೆ ಬಂದ ಕೂಡಲೇ ನಮಗೆ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಸಮಸ್ಯೆ ಎದುರಾಯಿತು. ಅದೇ TRAFFIC JAM (ವಾಹನಗಳ ಸಂದಣಿಯಿಂದಾದ ತಡೆ), ಪಶ್ಚಿಮ ಕಾರ್ಡ್ ರಸ್ತೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮೆಟ್ರೋ ಕಾಮಗಾರಿ ನಡೆಯುತ್ತಿದ್ದರಿಂದ ವಾಹನ ಸಂಚಾರ ದಟ್ಟವಾಗಿತ್ತು. ಇಲ್ಲಿಂದ ನಾವು ರಾಜಾಜಿ ನಗರ ತಲುಪಲು 1 ಗಂಟೆ ಹಿಡಿಯಿತು. ಇಲ್ಲಿಂದ ಯಶವಂತಪುರ ಮಾರ್ಗವಾಗಿ ಹೊರಟ ನಾವು ಮತ್ತೆ ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯ ಹೆದ್ದಾರಿ4 ರನ್ನು ಸೇರಿದೆವು. ಇಲ್ಲಿಂದ ಮತ್ತೆ ಅದೇ ಸಮಸ್ಯೆ TRAFFIC JAM ಅನುಭವಿಸಿದೆವು. ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯ ಹೆದ್ದಾರಿ4 ಲ್ಲಿ ಮೇಲ್ಸೇತುವೆ ಕಾಮಗಾರಿ ನಡೆಯುತ್ತಿದರಿಂದ ಇಲ್ಲಿ ವಾಹನ ದಟ್ಟನೆ ಹೆಚ್ಚಾಗಿತ್ತು. ಈಗಾಗಲೇ ನಮಗೆ ಬಹಳಷ್ಟು ಜನ ಕರೆ ಮಾಡಿ ಎಲ್ಲಿ ಇದ್ದಿರಾ? ಎಂದು ವಿಚಾರಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು. ನಾವು ಅವರಿಗೆಲ್ಲ ಉತ್ತ್ತರಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದೇವು. ನಮ್ಮ ಜೊತೆ ಮದುವೆಗೆ ಮಿನಿ ಮತ್ತು ಶಿವಾಜಿ, ದೇಬ್ ಜಾನಿ, ಮತ್ತು ಅಣ್ಣಪ್ಪ & ಕೋ ಬರುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು. ಆದರೇ ದೇಬ್ ಜಾನಿ ಅವರು TRAFFIC JAM ಸಮಸ್ಯೆ ಇಂದ ಮನೆಗೆ ಹಿಂತಿರುಗಿದರು. ಇದನ್ನು ಅವರೇ ನಮಗೆ ಕರೆ ಮಾಡಿ ತಿಳಿಸಿದರು ಹಾಗೂ ನಮ್ಮ ವರನಿಗೂ ಇದನ್ನು ತಿಳಿಸಲು ಹೇಳಿದರು. ಅಂತು 7.30 ಕ್ಕೆ ಸುರೇಂದ್ರ & ಕೋ ಮಂಟಪದ ಬಳಿ ಇರುವುದಾಗಿ ತಿಳಿಸಿದರು. ಆದರೂ ನಾವು ಅವರನ್ನು ಸೇರಲು ಮತ್ತೊಂದು ಗಂಟೆ ಹಿಡಿಯಿತು. ಇಲ್ಲಿ ನಮ್ಮ ವರ ಉಮೇಶ & ವಧು ಪಂಕಜ ಅವರು ಆಗಲೇ ಛಾಯಾ ಚಿತ್ರ ತೆಗೆಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದರಲ್ಲಿ ನಿರತರಾಗಿದ್ದರು. ಅಷ್ಟೇನೂ ದೊಡ್ಡದಾಗಿ ಇರದ ಕಲ್ಯಾಣ ಮಂಟಪದಲ್ಲಿ ಜನ ಕಿಕ್ಕಿರಿದು ತುಂಬಿದ್ದರು. ಇವರ ಜೊತೆ ನಾವು ಸೇರಿಕೊಂಡೆವು. ಆಗಲೇ ಶೀಲ ಮೆಲೋಡೀಸ್, ಜಾಲಹಳ್ಳಿ ಅವರಿಂದ ಹಾಡುಗಳ ಸುರಿಮಳೆ ನಡೆಯುತ್ತಿತ್ತು. ನಮ್ಮನ್ನು ಕಂಡ ವರ ಹಸನ್ಮುಖಿಯಾದ. ನಾವು ನಮ್ಮೊಡನೆ ತಂದಿದ್ದ ಉಡುಗೊರೆ ರಶೀತಿಯನ್ನು ಅವನಿಗೆ(ವರ ) ಕೊಟ್ಟು ಛಾಯ ಚಿತ್ರ ತೆಗೆಸಿಕೊಂಡು, ತೆಗೆದು ಕೊಂಡು , ಊಟದ ಸಾಲಿನ ಕಡೆ ಹೆಜ್ಜೆ ಹಾಕಿದೆವು. ಊಟ ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಭಿನ್ನವಾಗಿತ್ತು. ಎಲ್ಲರು ಮೊದಲು ಪೂರಿ & ಸಾಗು ಕೊಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು. ಆದರೇ ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಸೆಟ್ ದೋಸೆ ಕೊಟ್ಟರು. ಇದರ ಜೊತೆ ತೆಂಗಿನ ಕಾಯಿ ಚಟ್ನಿ ಕೂಡ ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿತ್ತು. ನಂತರ ಘಮ ಘಮಿಸುವ ಪಲಾವ್ , ಅನ್ನ ನುಗ್ಗೆಕಾಯಿ ಸಾಂಬಾರ್ ಕೂಡ ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿತ್ತು. ಆದರೇ ಮೆಣಸಿನ ಕಾಯಿ ಬಜ್ಜಿ ತಣ್ಣಗೆ ಇತ್ತು. ಊಟ ಮುಗಿಸಿ ಕೆಳಗೆ ಬಂದು, ಅಣ್ಣಪ್ಪ & ಕೋ ಅವರನ್ನು ಭೇಟಿ ಆದೆವು. ಅವರು ಟೆಂಪೋ ಟ್ರಾವೆಲ್ಲರ್ ವಾಹನದಲ್ಲಿ ಆಗಮಿಸಿದ್ದರು. ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಎಲ್ಲರೂ ಅದೇ ಕಷ್ಟದ (TRAFFIC JAM) ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಹರಟೆ ಆರಂಭಿಸಿದೆವು. ನಂತರ ಅಣ್ಣಪ್ಪ, ಪ್ರಶಾಂತ್ ಮುಂತಾದವರಿಂದ ಕೃಷ್ಣ ಜನಾರ್ಧನ ಅವರಿಗೆ ಒಂದು ಹಾಡನ್ನು ಹಾಡಲು ಮನವಿ. ಆದರೇ, ಅದನ್ನು ತಿರಸ್ಕರಿಸಿದ ಕೃಷ್ಣ ಜನಾರ್ಧನ. ಮೊದಲು ನಿಶ್ಚಯವಾದಂತೆ ಅಣ್ಣಪ್ಪ & ಕೋ ನ ನಾಲ್ವರು ಮದುವೆಗೆ ಉಳಿದು ಕೊಳ್ಳಬೇಕಾಗಿತ್ತು. ಆದರೇ ಅವರು ಮನೆ ಕಡೆ ಹೊರಡಲು ಮುಂದಾದರು. ಇಷ್ಟರಲ್ಲೇ ರಘುನಂಧನ್ & ಕೋ ಅವರ ಆಗಮನ. ಈಗ ಸಮಯ 9.15. ಅವರು ರಸ್ತೆ ತಿಳಿಯದೆ ಟೋಲ್ ಗೇಟ್ ಇಂದ 'U' ಟರ್ನ್ ತೆಗೆದು ಕೊಂಡು ಬರಲು ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಸಮಯ ಆಯಿತು ಎಂದು ತಿಳಿಸಿದರು. ಇವರು ವಧು ವರನನ್ನು ಆಶೀರ್ವದಿಸಲು ಒಳಗೆ ಹೋದರು. ನಾವು ನಮ್ಮ ಮನೆಗಳತ್ತ ಪಯಣ ಬೆಳೆಸಿದೆವು. ಇಲ್ಲಿಂದ 9.25 ಕ್ಕೆ ಹೊರಟ ನಾವು, ನಮ್ಮ ನಮ್ಮ ಮನೆಗಳನ್ನು ಬಹಳ ಬೇಗ ಅಂದರೆ 10.30 ಕ್ಕೆ ಸೇರಿದೆವು. ವಾಹನ ದಟ್ಟನೆ ಅಷ್ಟೊಂದು ಹೆಚ್ಚಾಗಿರದ ಕಾರಣ ನಾವು ಅತಿ ಬೇಗ ಹಿಂತುರಿಗಿದೆವು.

ಉಮೇಶ್ & ಪಂಕಜ ರವರಿಗೆ ಒಳ್ಳೆಯ ವಿವಾಹ ಜೀವನ ವನ್ನು ಹರಸೋಣ ಎನ್ನುತ್ತಾ, ನನ್ನ ಈ ಲೇಖನವನ್ನು ಮುಗಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದೇನೆ.

First Rural BPO in Karnataka --> Mpro Solutions

College and an office job was 17-year-old Abhijit’s dream. But financial problems meant he had to join his father on the farm, helping to grow paddy and sugarcane, collect fodder and sell milk. That became his life in the tiny hamlet of Baburayanakoppal, near Srirangapatna. Until three months ago, when an abandoned rice mill in the village was renovated and became the office for a 100-seater BPO (business process outsourcing) unit.

Word was soon out in the village that there were jobs to be had. Though he neither spoke nor understood English, Abhijit decided to give it a shot. He applied, wrote a test, was taken and trained. Today, he’s part of the Indian BPO army, once seen as an urban opportunity accessible only to educated, English-speaking youths.

Abhijit’s employer B S Venugopal, a director of Mpro Solutions, says though the training takes time, it is worth the effort. “We did not expect to find readily employable talent in rural areas. They are raw with no language or communication skills but eager to learn.” A few weeks into his training, Abhijit says in grammatically correct English, “It’s not that a farmer’s life was a bad one, but farming doesn’t pay enough for a comfortable living. In my case, I had no education and didn’t think I could be anything other than a farmer.” Now as part of his job, he makes calls to prospective donors from a database seeking funds for NGOs. His salary is Rs 3,500 a month.

Abhijit isn’t the only one taking advantage of BPOs going rural. Even as many outsourcing firms based in cities put a freeze on hiring, many new units are opening up in villages and towns in the south.

Karnataka’s IT/BT secretary Ashok Kumar C Manoli says the companies are bringing technology and financial empowerment to rural youth. “The idea is to create a rural BPO cluster, which can be integrated with similar projects across the country,” he says. “We want to promote jobs for rural youth who have some computer knowledge and belong to small towns with a 1 lakh population. To start with, each of these centres will have 100 seats,” he adds.

Abhijit’s colleagues at Mpro — Mahesh, Jagadish, an orphan, Soumya and a dozen others — are also taking advantage of this economic transformation. But what will they do with the extra money? Abhijit wants to help his father buy cows. His friends want to help their parents but they also want to buy cellphones and bicycles.

“The initiative will change the economic fabric of the countryside,” Manoli says. “BPOs will make youth in the hinterland financially independent as they did in the urban areas. They will have money for marriage, to pay off debts or buy sewing machines and cows. More importantly, it will stop the mass exodus of young people from villages to cities seeking employment,” he says.

It is the cost of business in big cities — exorbitant rentals, steep wages, high attrition — that has many companies looking towards the village. Mpro Solutions is the first to become operational under the Karnataka government’s ambitious rural BPO scheme. The state plans to set up a hundred such units to create 1 lakh jobs in the next four years. A few weeks ago, another centre was opened at Gundlupet, while two centres are being readied in Salgame and Shiggaon in Karnataka. Also in the pipeline are eight more in Sirsi, Huliyur, Chikbalapur, Hosadurga, Pavagada, Mundargi and Devadurg in rural Karnataka.

The state is rolling out the red carpet for those adventurous enough to go rural. It’s offering financial incentives of up to Rs 20 lakh and a per employee training incentive of Rs 10,000. Manoli says the response from entrepreneurs has been overwhelming. Infosys and Wipro, too, have shown interest.

Bangalore-based BPO company RuralShores, which already has a centre in Bagepalli, is in the process of entering rural areas in Tamil Nadu and Bihar. Xchanging, which acquired Cambridge Solutions, and Hinduja Global Solutions too are venturing into semi-urban places like Shimoga and Durgapur. Tamil Nadu has rural BPO units and is planning another 100 rural units in the next few years.

Kerala is looking at a hub-andspoke model. The government aims to set up 100 rural BPOs at the panchayat and district level in 14 districts over the next three years. The first rural BPOs have already come up in Perinad and Kadakkal in Kollam district.

Sai Seva Business Solutions, a rural BPO unit, was set up in Puttaparthi, a couple of years ago by management students of the Sri Sathya Sai University. HDFC Bank outsources part of its work on data capture and profiling of new accounts to them. Tata Business Support Services has set up a BPO in Mithapur, Gujarat.

A countrywide rural BPO drive is expected to create employment opportunities for millions of rural Indians, allowing them a share in the country’s $12-billion BPO pie.
http://ravinrao.blogspot.com/2009/10/rural-bpos-karnatakas-latest-in-it.html

RuralShores Business Services Pvt Ltd --> The BPO at Bagepalli, Karnataka

Vision:
BRINGING JOBS TO PEOPLE RATHER THAN BRINGING PEOPLE TO JOB.

The objective of RuralShores is to assimilate rural India into the knowledge economy by introducing rural youth to BPO opportunities and providing employment to them in their own villages.

Mission:
To create 500 BPO centers countryside nationwide in 7 years offering employment to nearly 100,000 rural youth.

A model centre has been set up to show case the viability and vibrancy of this initiative and foster replication in different parts of the country. This centre is setup in the outskirts of Bagepalli (Karnataka), 100 kms away from Bangalore. The current capacity of this centre is 120 people with potential to be scaled to 250.

This centre is equipped with the required technical infrastructure including client workstations, dedicated broadband connections, backup power generator, UPS backup for all systems, high speed scanner, access controlled entry, CCTV and air-conditioned server room.


RuralShores Business Services Pvt Ltd
#135/2, Maruthi Industrial Estate
ITPL Road, Hoodi, Whitefield
Bangalore - 560 048
Ph: +91-80-40956973
Email: info@ruralshores.com

Sri Sarva Dharma Samanvaya Trust
Sri Sathya Sai Nagar, Bagepally - 561 207,
Kolar District, Karnataka State, INDIA.
Ph: +91-8150-282309
e-mail:ssdstrust@indiatimes.com

ROC - Registrar Of Companies, Bangalore for registering your Business/Company

STANDARDIZED COMPANY
Legal Form: Private Limited Liability Company
Minimum capital requirement: none

Guys/Gals,
I know that all of you one or another day want to get into some business. To do so, there are a number of norms to be followed.

This falls under Ministry of Company Affairs (MCA).

For Bangalore, these details can be obtained from the below Address:
E-Wing, 2 nd Floor, Kendriya Sadana, Karomangala, Bangalore 560 034.
Phone: 080-25537449,
Fax: 080-25538531
email: mailto:roc@kar.nic.in

Use the below link, which gives a clear idea of what you have to do, cost, benefits and other info.
http://www.doingbusiness.org/ExploreTopics/StartingBusiness/India-Bangalore.htm

http://www.doingbusiness.org/exploreTopics/StartingBusiness/Details.aspx?economyid=89

Rural BPO -- List in INDIA

As the Indian outsourcing industry looks to expand capacity beyond the likes of Bangalore, Mumbai, NCR, Chennai, Pune and other large cities, they are reaching out to smaller cities and towns in India. But will the spotlight ever turn to the vast rural hinterland of India?

There have been some concrete steps in this direction. Satyam among others successfully pioneered this move three years ago. The company set up GramIT, which today has grown to over 300 employees across Andhra Pradesh villages. Comat (recently acquired by SPI), another frontrunner in this area, has several centers and plans to expand in a big way. A new entrant, Desicrew that set up operations with support from IIT Madras, has 50 employees in villages around Chennai and plans to touch 200 by end of 2008.

The exhibit below provides a list of some of the players in the rural BPO space in India:

Name of BPO	Details
GramIT (Rural BPO program of Satyam)	Supported by Satyam Foundation (NGO founded by Satyam) - GramIT employs 300 rural people in three units and is planning to expand. GramIT recently won a project from a UK-based company.
Sai Seva	The firm based in Puttaparthy has over 50 employees and handles image-based data capturing activity, electronic records creation for investment products, loans etc. This rural BPO has a key client in HDFC Bank.
Lason India (Chida Soft)	Lason India provides franchise towards setting up village BPOs. Supported by Lason, Chida Soft is located in Kizhanur village of Tiruvallur District in Tamil Nadu. Employs graduates from the village involved in coding, data entry and auditing legal publishing.
Comat	Runs 2,000 telecentres and ten facilities across rural India. Comat offers transaction processing services for Orbograph of the US and hires graduates in villages around Mysore.
DesiCrew Solutions	Has 10 centers and 60 employees around Chennai. This was set up with assistance from IIT Chennai. DesiCrew started as a pure Data Entry Service provider. But today we are working with services like - Translations, plotting data on maps, lead generation for IT companies amongst others.
Datamation group	Employs about 50 employees in Kuppam (Andhra Pradesh) and in some villages in Uttar Pradesh. Services offered include data entry and data processing.

Most of these BPOs have been set up in the southern states of India, where literacy levels are higher than most in northern states. Better infrastructure, connectivity, and educational standards in the southern villages as well as proximity to BPO hubs like Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad have enabled the growth of these rural BPOs.
Low Costs
For performing the same level of work, an employee in a village BPO gets INR 2000-3000 ($50-75) compared to the INR 8,000-10,000 ($200-250) in a tier 1 city in India. Infrastructure (read real estate) costs in villages are almost 1/8th – 1/10th of those in established BPO centers, though connectivity may cost more. Compared to the attrition levels of 40-60% across BPOs in major cities, there is minimal attrition rate in any of these village BPOs, as the people are recruited from the same village and the level of commitment is found to be higher. However, there lie significant challenges towards making a success out of these BPOs.
Key Success Factors
While finding willing people is easy, “employability” is not assured, making ‘training’ a huge challenge. Saloni Malhotra, CEO Desicrew however dismisses the idea. “This is a perception. You have to select simple tasks that can be handled by these BPOs. Due to lack of exposure, the employees in a rural BPO may take additional time in getting trained, but it is doable in an acceptable time frame. For a job that takes two weeks training in an established city will take around 3-4 weeks here”. “Some of the challenges include impressing upon the employees the importance of timeliness and quality. If these parameters do not suffer, the clients will be more than willing to pay for the same job”, adds Saloni.

However, apart from training, there are likely to be language and cultural issues, as well as significant infrastructural challenges, especially in terms of broadband connectivity and power. The same processes and systems used in corporate entities may need to be tweaked for small town or rural locations. Like any other initiative, getting it right will be harder than it may appear at first.Large BPOs can successfully integrate rural BPOs into their current model by identifying the lowest level of process-driven tasks. Chunks of such tasks can be farmed out by providing sufficient training to the rural BPO workers, with quality checks done at the main center. The model can be improved over time for cost-effectiveness and efficiency.

In some cases, rural BPOs have worked for US/UK-based clients; however, the major potential for these BPOs lies in tapping the domestic market. Agrees Saloni, “For domestic work - rural BPOs are the way forward. Lower costs as well as regional language skill sets make them most suitable”. While the rural BPOs may not arrive in a big way in the short term, we believe this potential is tremendous.

Apart from the potential to save costs and become more competitive, and benefits of a wider talent pool, these efforts could actually show the way to non-polluting employment across the country – thereby fulfilling a major socio-economic need.

Rural BPOs: Karnataka’s latest in IT revolution (Feature)

Baburayanakoppal (Karnataka), Sep 7 (IANS) :
For 23-year-old graduate Jayalakshmi, getting a job as an executive at a business process outsourcing (BPO) firm was a dream. But getting it at her village here, near the historic Srirangapatna town in Mandya district, was the icing on the cake.

Who could have imagined working at a BPO centre, that too in my village? I was planning to shift to Bangalore to get a BPO job. But then to everyone’s surprise, the BPO came to my village. I applied and was selected,” a delighted Jayalakshmi told IANS .

Echoed Jagadish, 22, a fellow villager: “Now I can have a decent income, and make best use of my education and skills in my village itself. I don’t have to migrate.”

Jayalakshmi and Jagadish, along with 120-odd youths, are part of India’s first rural BPO that has been set up in this tiny nondescript village, about 150 km from India’s IT hub Bangalore.

The BPO, Mpro Solutions, started operations Aug 7 and is supported by the Karnataka government, which wants to show India how information technology (IT) can change the rural economy. Its target: create almost 100,000 jobs in the hinterland.

“There is a gold mine here,” said Mpro director B.S. Venugopal. “Talented youngsters from rural areas could be an asset.”

According to Ashok Kumar C. Manoli, Karnataka’s Principal Secretary for IT and BT and Science and Technology, the initiative would change the economy of the countryside.

“Creation of rural BPOs will automatically stem large-scale migration of educated rural youth to urban areas,” Manoli told IANS.

“The new initiative is expected to enhance the IT skills of the rural population and create jobs for them. On the anvil are rural BPO centres in Chamarajanagar, Hassan and Haveri districts.”

Manoli said the state government planned to provide a Rs.2 million capital investment subsidy for setting up a 100-seat BPO.

It would also provide Rs.10,000 for training and another Rs.5,000 for rental and Internet connection per employee, he added.

Information Technology and Biotechnology Minister Katta Subramanya Naidu said the state government planned to create 100,000 IT jobs in rural areas over the next five years, including 10,000 this year.

“The government plans to establish 100 such rural BPOs and has earmarked Rs.40 crore (Rs.400 million) for subsidy and manpower training,” Naidu said while inaugurating the BPO in the village Aug 7.

Welcoming the latest trend of BPO sector penetration in the countryside, experts predicted it would pave a new chapter in rural economy.

“It’s a noble concept and has immense potential. The rest of India can emulate the idea. Rural BPOs could emerge as sub-contractors for IT majors that handle international clients,” said technology expert Sridhar Mitta.

Over half a million people are employed in the IT industry across the state spanning software services and IT-enabled services, including BPO and call centres.

As India’s tech hub, Bangalore accounts for about 450,000 jobs, with 300,000 in software services and the remaining (150,000) in back-office operations.

Owner/Proprietor Details:
Mpro Solutions

#92,2nd floor, Central Bank of india Building, 60 ftRoad, 6th Block, Opp. G.K. Vale Studio, Kormangala, Bangalore- 560 095
Ph: 91-080- 4110 5427
Fax: 91-080- 4110 5426
Email: mproindia@yahoo.co.in

Rathna Srinivas
Mpro Solutions, No. 92, 1st &2nd Floor
Empro Tower, 60ft Road,
6th Block, Koramanagla,
Bangalore-95.


http://www.mprosolutions.com/

About them
Mpro Solutions was born on 15 th August 2003, having corporate office in the IT hub of India, Koramangala, Banglore, guided by experts who have vast experience in human resource for more then three decades, making Mpro Solution the only approved recruiting company to Software Technology Parks of India, Ministry of Information Technology, Government of India.