The Hindu Business Line : SBI plans to fund rural Net kiosks

IN a bid to bring the world to the doorstep of rural folk, the State Bank of India (SBI) has chalked out a mega plan to extend financial assistance to rural Internet kiosks.

The bank proposes to finance at least 500 kiosks at 25 centres in each identified district during the 2003-04 fiscal.

The project was initiated almost a year back in Tamil Nadu at Melur in Madurai district.

The kiosks, while bringing the rural folks within the e-governance domain of the State Government, enable the farmers to access the Net and retrieve market intelligence information about various agricultural commodities.

Based on the success of the Melur model, the State Government decided to extend the project to nine other districts - Cuddalore, Coimbatore, Kancheepuram, Theni, Tirunelveli, Salem, Nagapattinam, Erode and Thiruvallur, apart from extending it in Madurai.

On its part, SBI decided to provide the financial assistance for opening of such kiosks in the rural and semi-urban pockets of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry.

The Coimbatore module of SBI has proposed to kick-start five kiosks at Kandiyankoil, Pongalur, Padiyur, Sivanmalai and Katturpudur on April 15.

Mr S. Krishnamoorthy, Chief General Manager, is expected to activate the kiosks.

These kiosks bear the brand name, Chiraag.

The project is being implemented by n-Logue, a communications company promoted by IIT Madras.

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