World Corps India and Hewlett Packard in association with the Government of Andhra Pradesh through Kuppam Area Development Authority (KADA) are facilitating the establishment of Community Information Centres at the gram panchayat level in Kuppam Constituency, Chittoor District. Enabled by ICT and other infrastructure Community Information Centres would offer online and offline public and private services on a “fee for service” basis to the citizens of Kuppam Constituency. 

Community Information Centres at the Gram Panchayat headquarters 

Applications were invited from unemployed youth (aged 20-30) having completed intermediate educational levels for setting up of CICs that are owned, operated and managed by unemployed youth for the following locations

Mallanoor Gram Panchayat of Kuppam Mandal Settipalli Gram Panchayat of Gudipalli Mandal Rallabuduguru Gram Panchayat of Santhipuram Mandal Vijilapuram Gram Panchayat of Ramakuppam Mandal Muddaram Doddi Gram Panchayat of V.Kota Mandal

Eligibility Criteria 

To be self employed through this income generation activity with loan assistance To serve the people in the villages To work as a team To work with private and government agencies To contribute financially as per loaning institutions norms To work with technology solutions such as computers, printer, photocopier etc.

Written examinations and interviews for selecting talented and deserving youth 

Following the advertisement in Telugu newspapers for the CIC entrepreneurs and community awareness building in the gram panchayats 62 candidates were short listed for the written examinations. WCI put together an aptitude and attitude test paper for the aspiring CIC entrepreneurs which tested their knowledge/awareness in government and current affairs, leadership abilities, mathematical skills, CIC business, community, social and economic issues.

The eligible candidates were invited for personal interviews.

Candidates undertaking the written examination for the Community Information Centres (CICs)	G. N. N. Prasad, Community Engagement Manager, HP,  M. J. Muthukumaraswamy, HRD Consultant, WCI conducting interviews for Phase II CICs.	Balaji Venkatesan, Operations Manager, HP, Deepa Anandakrishnan and Praveen Kumar Prithvi, Country Coordinators, WCI conducting interviews for Phase II CICs.

 M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation and Education Development Centre, bound by their common goal of fostering job-led economic growth based on enterprises which are environmentally benign, economically viable and socially equitable, particularly in gender terms jointly sponsored a Project Design Workshop for young entrepreneurs/NGO project staff on the design of economically viable green enterprises. G.V. Pavan Kumar, the Accounts and Administrative Officer of WCI attended this workshop.

Infotainment at the Rama-kuppam

Ramakuppam Community Information Centre makes good business through computer-enabled services, especially through computer games. People of all ages from school going children, college students, youth, government employees, teachers and businessmen are playing computer games. They get familiar with the computer operations and gain keyboard skills by playing games. Through the computer games they are able to overcome their computer phobia by learning about computers through games. Particularly in the rural areas, rural people are in a mindset that computer work is a skill that is a prerogative of only the urban-based educated, rich/middle class people. But by playing games they are able to realize that playing or doing work with a computer is a skill that could be easily developed through familiarity and practice regardless of one’s educational, geographic and financial status.

Selection of Entrepreneurs for Phase II Community Information Centres (CICs)
(read more...)

CICs offer online e-governance services to the citizens of Kuppam
(read more...)

Grameen Technology Centre (GTC), USA visit the CICs in Kuppam
(read more...)