Consultancy, Internship and State Level Workshop

C-DACC, Hyderabad:
CRD organized a day long workshop on “Knowledge Sharing for Rural Development through ICT in Assam – InDg as a Platform” on June 29, 2009 at National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD), North- East Regional Centre (NERC), Khanapara, Guwahati. The workshop was sponsored by the Department of Information Technology, GOI and supported by Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Hyderabad. The goal of the workshop was to reach out to and link people who are working in the Agriculture, Health, Education, Rural Energy, e-Governance and ICT implementation in the state. Around 100 participants from various fields took part in the workshop.

Now we are the co-ordinating Agency for Assamese Portal of India Development Gateway

http://www.indg.in/india/9ad9be9f09a49f0-9ac9bf9959be9b69f0-9aa9cd9f09ac9c79b69a69cd9ac9be9f0/view?set_language=as

Intern from Kingston University, London:
A British intern named Ms Tess Joyce from Kingston University, London volunteered during July-August/2009. She closely worked with the workshop team by collecting information regarding environmental issues as well as workers’ safety standards maintained at the present Rickshaw Bank workshop. Finally, she has prepared an exhaustive Environmental Report based on EMAS standard procedure for the Rickshaw Workshop.

Volunteers from MAGNUM OPUS, France:
During the month of June 2009, a renowned French photographer named Mr. Patrick Zachman from MAGNUM OPUS volunteered to document Rickshaw Bank activities in Guwahati and Noida as well.

Volunteers from MIT, USA:
Mr Gwndaf Jones, a consultant and technocrat with Massaucheuts Institute of Technology (MIT), Boston (USA) came for looking into scope of working for their D-lab programme with Rickshaw Bank of CRD. Initially, he came for a week during August 2009 and later came again with a team of students and business consultants. The whole team worked with skilled and semi-skilled staff of Rickshaw Workshop for the period January 6-26, 2010. They had worked on different components of the rickshaw- suspension, gearing part, chassis upgradation. An upgraded model has been worked out which is under trial run.

Interns from KIIT University, Bhubaneswar, Orissa:
In addition to international volunteers, CRD received two students Ms Manali Bhattacharjee, Mr Avtar Singh from School of Rural Management, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar as a part of their rural action component of MBA (Rural Management) course. They have been placed for the period of December 27, 2009 – March 05, 2010; wherein they studied two feasibility studies under the guidance of Mr Manoj Kumar Sarma as follows:

Project 1: “Socio-economic screening of Development Blocks in Kamrup and Nalbari district, Assam” as a part of a project-plan on enabled livelihood enhancement through promotion of people’s institutes..

Project 2: “Feasibility study of a Agro-Aid Centre in Chaygaon Gaon Panchayat in Kamrup District, Assam.” The students have worked intensively in different rural areas in Kamrup and Nalbari District and prepared the reports for end use.