Bhagwani Devi (L) and Pragya Devi (R), trailblazers in their community and champions of our Safe Mobility prototype
Sustainable Enterprise
Indians are inherently entrepreneurial, yet mostly people in rural India find it difficult to set up and run enterprises with ease. Constraints like access to technical knowledge, finance, market, and poor entrepreneurship capacities inhibit enterprise development. Initiatives that focus on continuous innovation, action, and learning to promote entrepreneurship at scale can unleash latent energies among communities and build positive ecosystems where micro entrepreneurs continue to thrive on a sustained basis.
Flagship Projects
i-STED
The Society for Technology and Action for Rural Advancement (TARA), New Delhi under the i-STED (Innovation- Science and Technology based Entrepreneurship Development) project worked under the theme of waste-to-wealth where it demonstratesd entrepreneurship development by using Eco-friendly Building Materials (fFly Aash Bbricks, eco-concrete products), Eco-friendly Packaging (paper recycling and handmade papers) and Eco-friendly Processed Fuel (biomass and agro-waste pellets) for the economic betterment of the rural members helping to create and support over 150 Science & Technology enterprises while creating jobs locally. These enterprises were integrated with appropriate science and technology intervention, appropriate skills development, financing and marketing support and linkages.
Smart Power India
TARA collaborated with Smart Power India (SPI) to create an enabling ecosystem for rural solar energy transition by partnering with various private and public actors in the business ecosystem such as technology providers, financial institutions, service providers, and relevant government agencies. By leveraging digital technology, it is generating and aggregating rooftop solar demand from rural MSMEs, and unlocking economies of scale for incentivising technology providers, financial institutions, and system installers to operate in rural areas. The initiative, in partnership with financial institutions, has successfully introduced an innovative financing model for easing the energy transition journey of rural MSMEs.
Publications
