M. S. Swaminathan (second from left), chairman, M S Swaminathan Research Foundation, addressing reporters in Chennai on Thursday while announcing the inauguration of the third convention of the National Alliance for Mission 2007. Also seen are Bashe erhamad Shadrach(extreme left), senior program officer, International Development Research Centre and Ankhi Das of Microsoft India. PHOTO: SHAJU JOHN.

CHENNAI: In an attempt to take technology to the doorsteps of rural households and make information technology work for rural empowerment, a consortium of stakeholders — led by the best brains in the government, business, academia and NGO sector — will meet in Chennai on Friday to mobilise more partnerships.

The third convention of the National Alliance for Mission 2007: Every Village a Knowledge Centre will be held on July 28 and 29 and will have, among others, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister for Panchayati Raj Mani Shankar Aiyar as participants.

"The alliance is a unique experiment in mobilising the power of partnerships to end urban-rural apartheid. The aim is to create a knowledge connectivity network that will operate, at the rural level, through one-stop, single window knowledge centres," M.S. Swaminathan, chairperson of the alliance, told reporters. Some partners include Microsoft India, United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation, International Development Research Centre, National Association of Software and Service Companies Foundation, Arghyam Trust and Ford Foundation.

The network will operate at three levels. Tier I will consist of block-level centres set up with the help of the Indian Space Research Organisation with satellite connectivity and teleconferencing facilities. Tier II will have village-level knowledge centres and tier III will work at the level of hamlets that do not have internet connectivity but can be connected through telecommunication networks or ham radios.

"Ultimately, panchayati raj institutions will have to play a major role in creating knowledge centres and the alliance will try to link up the knowledge centres with other national missions such as the National Health Mission and the National Literacy Mission, Prof. Swaminathan said.

Over 13,000 such village resource centres have already been set up in various parts of the country, 487 of them in the North-East alone.

A salient feature of the convention would be the inauguration of a technology pavilion that will invite participation from various organisations and showcase products and services with specific reference to rural India.

The Mission 2007 convention will be held at IIT-Madras.

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