InfoAnda - Chase for India's rural rupee inspires tech innovations

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

New Israeli rocket shield passes final test -ministry | 20 July 2010
Schwarzenegger says tie-up with Stallone was decades in making | | 4 August 2012
Presidents meet for security summit in Tajikistan | 31 July 2009

Mediterranean wildfires wreak destruction, recrimination | 26 July 2009

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Chase for India's rural rupee inspires tech innovations

Yahoo! My Yahoo! Mail More Yahoo! Services Account Options New User? Sign Up Sign In Help Yahoo! Search web search Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Weekend Edition Chase for India's rural rupee inspires tech innovations AFP - Wednesday, December 8 Send IM Story Print Chase for India's rural rupee inspires tech innovations NEW DELHI (AFP) - – India's hunger for new technology is as sharp in its countless small villages as in its shiny office towers or shopping malls -- and businesses are waking up to an area of massive potential growth. Specific designs being aimed at Indian villagers include a mobile phone cash-transfer system, robust low-energy refrigerators and a clever twist on the humble kitchen stove. Household cook Shivnath Yadav, 35, told AFP that he regularly sends funds via his mobile phone to his mother in the tiny village of Gajolpaharpur in Bihar, one of the country's poorest states. "It's so easy to do this, and knowing that it will reach my mother soon relieves me of any tension," he said at the Jai Janta convenience store in south Delhi where he completes the transaction. Two brothers, Abhishek and Abhinav Sinha, used a World Bank grant in 2009 to set up Eko Financial Services, which provides mobile banking services by using such small shops as de facto banking outlets. When a customer wants to send funds to a relative, they deposit cash with a shopkeeper who dials a code to get the transaction cleared by Eko. Eko then alerts the bank to transfer the money to a shop in the relative's village, where he or she can pick up the cash. Store owner Jitender Kumar, 33, said he dealt with more than 100 cash-transfer customers a day who send money to villages scattered across east India. Business has been encouraging enough to lead him to shut down his phone repair business and focus attention entirely on mobile banking. "We wanted to make the service really simple, as easy as putting money under your mattress but much more secure," said Anupam Varghese, vice president of research and development at Eko. At present Eko has 800 outlets in three states, but Varghese said the company plans to expand to cover all of India -- a country where more than 70 percent of its 1.18 billion people live in villages, according to census data. Also heralding a technological revolution in rural communities is an ATM that uses batteries and solar power to overcome frequent power shortages. Many banks have been reluctant to extend their ATM networks into villages, fearing that the profit margins would be too low and the security risks too high. But engineer L. Kannan recently unveiled the first fully-functioning "Gramateller" ATM after several years in development. "Villagers are not affluent but they do have money. What they don't have is a way to save money since setting up branches or traditional ATMs in villages is not profitable for banks," he told AFP. "My machine functions on 100 watts of power -- 10 percent of a conventional machine's consumption -- and has back-up batteries and solar panels." The Gramateller is also able to issue used notes rather than only freshly-printed ones, making it easier for banks to re-supply. Kannan signed a contract this year with India's largest bank, the State Bank of India (SBI), to supply it with 600 machines and about 300 of them are already up and running around the country. The rush to meet rural demand for new technology is not limited to the financial sector or small start-ups, with giants like the Tata Group also entering the fray. Already famous for producing the world's cheapest car, the Nano, last year Tata released a water purifier which requires neither electricity nor running water to operate. Priced at 999 rupees (22 dollars), the Swach purifier uses rice husk ash impregnated with nano-silver particles to filter water and is designed to last a family of five for 200 days. Looking to tap into another lucrative young market, fellow conglomerate the Godrej Group is now working on a refrigerator aimed at the vast majority of Indians who don't own one. "We saw that the penetration of refrigerators in India is only 18 per cent and we wondered, don't the rest of them need one?" G. Sunderraman, vice president of corporate development at Godrej, told AFP. Sunderraman consulted with villagers during extensive field research and came up with the "Chotukool" (Small Cooler) -- a bright red cube with top-quality insulation that can run on electricity or on a battery. It uses thermoelectric cooling instead of a compressor to withstand the physical pressures of a rural environment, and will be on sale within months. At 3,750 rupees, it is still expensive in a country where hundreds of millions of people live on less than two dollars a day. But entrepreneur Mahesh Yagnaraman, CEO of First Energy, cautions against the idea that cheap products are always a better bet in the chase for the rural rupee. "The product needs to be aspirational. People want a product that compares well to those sold in cities," said Yagnaraman, who markets the Oorja smokeless stove to village women. The stove uses biomass pellets instead of wood or gas to cut down on indoor smoke pollution and -- equally importantly -- on the huge amount of time spent sourcing firewood. All the business people who spoke to AFP admitted that they were yet to turn a profit, but it has not dampened their optimism. "It is challenging to reach out to villages, but as an Indian company we have to target this market, if we don't, who will?" said Sunderraman. "In the long run, there will be growth." Recommend Send IM Story Print Related Articles Microsoft adding privacy options to new Web browser AFP - 23 minutes ago US-TECH Summary Reuters - 39 minutes ago Comcast says no plan for usage-based pricing Reuters - 40 minutes ago Google takes wraps off first Chrome PCs Reuters - 54 minutes ago Microsoft plans "do not track" feature in browser Reuters - 1 hour 3 minutes ago News Search Top Stories Bank of America admits fraud in US antitrust case More than half of European adults overweight: study EU opens WTO door to Russia in 'milestone' deal Ireland unveils 6.0-billion-euro savings in annual budget EU clears Irish rescue as rows rage on wider needs More Top Stories » ADVERTISEMENT Most Popular Most Viewed Most Recommended Russian satellites crash into Pacific: space official WikiLeaks adds twist to climate hopes Aspirin sharply reduces cancer risk: study Prince William and Kate use TV interview for charity: palace British scientists find key to repairing MS damage More Most Viewed » NASA finds new form of life... on Earth World leaders scramble for funds to save the tiger US, S.Korea plan war games after N.Korean attack Obama gets 12 stitches after 'elbow in the lip' More Most Recommended » Elsewhere on Yahoo! Financial news on Yahoo! Finance Stars and latest movies Best travel destinations More on Yahoo! News Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Weekend Edition Subscribe to our news feeds Top StoriesMy Yahoo!RSS » More news feeds | What are news feeds? Also on Yahoo! Answers Groups Mail Messenger Mobile Travel Finance Movies Sports Games » All Yahoo! Services Site Highlights Singapore Full Coverage Most Popular Entertainment Photos Yahoo! News Network Copyright © 2010 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved. Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Community | Intellectual Property Rights Policy | Help

Other News on Wednesday, 8 December 2010
Gates hears of 'tough' fight in east Afghanistan
WikiLeaks chief Assange behind bars in Britain
No apparent Stuxnet impact in US: cyber official
World powers, Iran agree to further nuclear talks
EU opens WTO door to Russia in 'milestone' deal
More than half of European adults overweight: study
US-TECH Summary
Netanyahu rejects call not to sell homes to Arabs |
Analysis
S.Africa court hears Briton plotted wife's murder
Bank of America admits fraud in US antitrust case
Google nips Microsoft as government moves to the cloud
Chile Collahuasi strikers return to work after deal |
British PM 'cautiously optimistic' on Afghan pullout
WikiLeaks' Assange remanded in custody
Ireland unveils 6.0-billion-euro savings in annual budget
Tense Haiti awaits results of turbulent elections |
FBI warns Barbie doll could be used for child porn
Israel says S.American "Palestine" nods hurt peace
Holy City's marathon route runs into controversy
Somali pirates widen reach despite EU efforts |
WikiLeaks' Assange: highly skilled, deeply divisive
World powers, Iran to meet end-January in Istanbul
Football icon Cantona's bank 'revolution' flops
Economic carrot helps China in Nobel boycott drive |
Google exec in China says no knowledge of WikiLeaks claim
Ahmadinejad calls on P5+1 to scrap sanctions
Haiti cholera outbreak 'came from UN camp'
Nigeria graft agency charges Cheney, Halliburton boss |
Chase for India's rural rupee inspires tech innovations
US commander sees Afghan gains, challenges
Swaziland opposition says website blocked by government
French police arrest 'six alleged PKK militants'
South Sudan accuses northern army of fresh attacks |
Intel strongarmed Russia into concession: WikiLeaks
Director Jolie 'learnt from the cinema greats'
WikiLeaks' Assange arrested on suspicion of rape
Applied Signal auction ignites cybersecurity M&A
Senior US official visits Myanmar
Shanghai teenagers are world's smartest
Swiss return jailed ex-president's deposits to Taiwan
Iraqi maqam emerges as casualty of modernity and war
Chinese bishops open meeting amid tense Vatican ties
Google takes wraps off first Chrome PCs |
Discontent brews over Kenya alcohol law
Finland's fall from top education spot 'worrying': minister
Cambodian court clears Japanese photographer of porn charge
Director Jolie 'learnt from the cinema greats'
Pathan magic seals win for India
Microsoft plans do not track feature in browser |
British soap Coronation Street celebrates 50 years
China hits back at criticism over North Korea
Nineteen countries decline Nobel ceremony invite: organisers
WikiLeaks' Assange: highly skilled, deeply divisive |
Plot needed big changes, new Narnia filmmakers say
Comcast says no plan for usage-based pricing |
Bomb outside north India temple kills one
Star of traditional Japan theater barred for brawl
Backpackers trek the globe with tech toys |
Improved school curriculums help Asians excel: OECD
Google nips Microsoft as government moves to the cloud |
Bomb blast in holy Indian city, one killed, dozens injured
FBI warns Barbie doll could be used for child porn |
Japan's first Venus probe struggling to enter orbit
Paul Reiser makes unusual suspect for music album |
Disney's Anne Sweeney tops Hollywood power list |
IPad 2 to start shipping as early as Feb: report
U.S. drops push for Israel settlement freeze
Lybia 'threatened' Britain over Lockerbie bomber
North Korea conducts “drill”, U.S. military chief in Seoul |
Netflix CFO McCarthy resigns, Wells succeeds
Netanyahu rejects call not to sell homes to Arabs
China casts net wide in Nobel Prize crackdown |
Swedish prosecutor's website under cyber attack
Defiant Obama defends tax cuts, eyes 2012
Protests erupt as Haiti election goes to run-off |
US panel approves first obesity drug in a decade
Powerful British forces working against Russia: ministry
Google unwraps Chrome PCs too late for holidays
Elizabeth Edwards dies of cancer
Russian warplanes flew near U.S.-Japan drill: report |
Gates sees hard-won progress in east Afghanistan
Pentagon says winning battle for Afghan town Marjah |
One Communications Corp buyers to submit bids Tuesday: sources
Colombia seeks aid as rescuers dig out mudslide victims |
Greenpeace praises Cisco green efforts
WikiLeaks founder Assange refused bail by UK court |
Microsoft adding privacy options to new Web browser
U.N.'s Ban urges climate deal, short of perfect |
Comcast says no plan for usage-based pricing
West African bloc backs Ouattara as Ivorian leader |
Microsoft plans "do not track" feature in browser
Elizabeth Edwards dies
Gas explosion in coal mine kills 26 in China: report |
U.S. Democrats question Obama's tax deal
Ex-Aussie PM laughs off US 'control freak' slurs
Pentagon says winning battle for Afghan town Marjah
Mirren blasts Hollywood for penis worship
Nepal condemns study linking army to Haiti cholera
Russia 'perplexed' by leaked Baltic defence plan
Disney's Anne Sweeney tops Hollywood power list
Philippine troops clash with massacre suspects
China casts net wide in Nobel Prize crackdown
China to award own peace prize ahead of Nobel award
Google unwraps Chrome PCs too late for holidays |
India on alert after bomb blast in holy city
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
Analysis: Nintendo needs some magic to spur growth |
US, S.Korea military chiefs discuss N.Korea threat
AIDS charity raises $1 million and "dead" celebs live!
RIM says tablet software is future for smartphones |
Indonesian maids undeterred by Saudi horrors
China, Laos plan high-speed rail link
Disney's Anne Sweeney tops Hollywood power list
Japan space probe shoots past Venus
Ericsson names Wareby head of sales and marketing |
Seoul shares slip on caution over N.Korea, BOK
Paul Reiser makes "unusual suspect" for music album
Technicolor develops 3D certification program |
Japan machinery orders fall, account surplus grows
Rare Russian imperial letters sell for 304,000 euros
CORRECTED-S.Korea 3-yr treasury yields rise from record low
Texas Instruments sees short, shallow correction |
Seoul shares flat as techs gain, refiners fall
Taiwan's Quanta Nov sales up 11.7 pct y/y |
UMC's Nov sales show weaker chip demand |
Buoyant India eyes 9 precent growth in new forecasts
Netflix CFO McCarthy resigns, Wells succeeds |
Alstom, Bombardier sign rail agreements with China
China's Geely to sell cars online
Japan machinery orders in October disappoint
OGDCL bid for BP Pakistan delayed by legal hitch
Wesley Snipes still hopes to avoid jail |
Oprah Winfrey feared launching OWN network |
Leonardo DiCaprio attacker gets two years in jail |
More changes on American Idol being considered |
Avril Lavigne to release new album in March |
Redman drops new album |
Angelina Jolie talks Tourist and Johnny Depp |
Artists get own micro-philanthropy site |
Semisonic revists Closing Time thanks to movie |
UMC's Nov sales show weaker chip demand
Cate Blanchett joins cast of The Hobbit |
Kindle books to open on Web browsers
Google Chrome-powered notebooks on sale next year
RIM says tablet software is future for smartphones
Texas Instruments sees short, shallow correction
Technicolor develops 3D certification program
Iran claims victory in nuclear talks
German industrial output jumps 2.9% in October
China Unicom halves price of 3G mobile package
Egypt arrests 82 migrants trying to reach Israel
Assange backers in cyber retaliation over arrest |
Saudis wanted Arab force in Lebanon
Study links receipts, cash to cancer and obesity
Ahmadinejad sets nuclear red lines for January talks |
Ericsson names Wareby head of sales and marketing
German trade surplus shrinks in October: data
Elizabeth Edwards Dies Of Cancer At 61
Ouattara's Ivory Coast poll win irrefutable: U.N. |
Video thought to show American held in Afghanistan
Don King's Wife, Henrietta King, Dies At 87
Analysis: Nintendo needs some magic to spur growth
Aussie cricket fans campaign for Warne comeback
Seven dead, 50 hurt in Bangladesh train crash-police |
US admits failure on Israel settlements freeze
Neil Patrick Harris To Host Spike TV "Video Game Awards"
Taiwan's Quanta Nov sales up 11.7 pct y/y
Yemen gun culture harms stability, helps militants |
Video shows man thought to be captive US soldier
Rihanna Debuts At #1 On First Ever Billboard Social 50 Chart
Pink Earns Third #1 Single On Billboard Hot 100 With "Raise Your Glass"
India says local Islamists bombed pilgrim city |
Suspect In Death Of Hollywood Publicist Commits Suicide
Comedian Jon Lovitz Serious About Joking On Skin Condition
Chile's worst prison fire kills 83 inmates |
Kanye West Sells Nearly Half-Million Of "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" For #1 On Billboard
Peace process in crisis; Palestinians doubt U.S. |
Saudi Movie Buffs Finally Have Somewhere to Go
Taiwan's Quanta Nov sales up 11.7 pct y/y
Susan Boyle Earns Second Week At #1, Jackie Evancho Debuts On Billboard Albums Chart
Teenage suicide bomber kills 17 in Pakistan
Suicide bomber kills 16 in northwest Pakistan
Mirren blasts Hollywood for penis worship
Japan team say stem cells helped monkey jump again
'Lawyer helped Indonesia's rogue tax official escape conviction'
On the Border on the move to export bulgogi taco to U.S.
Myanmar voter turnout 77%: state media
Rolling Stone magazine publishes Lennon's last print interview
At least 13 killed in Pakistan suicide blast
Netflix in streaming deal for more ABC shows |
Lennon fans flock to Liverpool for anniversary
Russia says warplanes flew near U.S.-Japan drill
Google Android phones biggest network hogs: study |
Mirren blasts Hollywood for penis worship
WikiLeaks supporters attack MasterCard site: sources |
Johnny Depp laments 'voyeuristic' modern times
China online video firms jostle for post-TV generation
Wesley Snipes still hopes to avoid jail
Next step in AIG Taiwan unit bid seen next week-sources
Salesforce to buy Heroku to expand in cloud computing |
Redman drops new album
S.Korean parliament passes budget as fists fly
Avril Lavigne to release new album in March
Pakistan court hears challenge to PSA port deal
Asia Naphtha-Taiwan Formosa buys around 90,000T for H2 Jan
More changes on "American Idol" being considered
Police raid minister's homes in India telecom scam
India car sales jump 21 percent in November
Siam City Cement could double Cambodian output
Further signs emerge of Japan slowdown
GM signs major growth plan for S.Korea auto unit
Wisconsin woman bites off her husband's tongue during goodnight kiss
Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber Top Bing.Com's Most Searched Musicians Of The Year
Porn Actor Lambasts Adult Healthcare Clinic, Calls For Mandatory Condom Use
Crew Of Wheelchair-Accessible Pirate Ship Rescued Off Nantucket
"Alice In Wonderland" Gets Blu-Ray 3-D Release
New York Mayor seeks Election law reforms to boost turnout
Rolling Stone magazine publishes Lennon's last print interview |
Columbia University Students Plead Not Guilty To Drug Dealing On Campus
Jessica Simpson's Fashion Line Expected To Reach $1 Billion Sales
Bank Of America Agrees To $137 Million Settlement For State Fraud Cases
Iranian movie on U.S. in Iraq entered for Oscars |
Ultimate "Shrek" Collection Comes To DVD, Blu-Ray
Google Android phones biggest network hogs: study
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph	VPN on MacOSX	BlogMeter 1.01