Microsoft India today announced a new rural initiative, and is planning to set up 50,000 IT kiosks in the next three years for providing a wide range of information and services related to health, education, communication and agriculture in villages."We will set up 50,000 kiosks across India over the next three years. This is a great start, but our larger aim is to reach more than 50% of the rural population within three years," Ranjivjit Singh, group director (consumer business) of Microsoft India, said today.The initiative, named "Saksham" (self-reliant), would provide local entrepreneurs a chance to set up and manage kiosks on a self-sustaining basis for providing content and services to the rural populace.Microsoft has tied up with three non-government agencies - Drishti, Jaikisan and N-Logue - to roll out the kiosks, and is also in talks with lending institutions like SBI to provide funding to local entrepreneurs, Neelam Dhawan, MD of Microsoft India, said.Microsoft is also developing a rural portal powered with content and applications for the rural areas by working with regional and local software vendors.
