A reverse innovation wind blowing from the developing world

It is often thought that innovation requires huge financial resources. However, a closer look at what has happened recently in India shows that stringent economic conditions can substantially fuel it. Frugal innovation, i.e. “making do with what you have and never giving up,” is increasingly seen as a solution

At a time when in the “rich world” large public deficits makes it difficult to meet citizens’ rising expectations, a growing number of Western governments are drawing their inspiration from their developing world counterparts who have extensive experience in generating growth out of an extremely constrained economic and social environment. The idea behind frugal innovation is simple: based on an inversion of the traditional top down approach, take poor consumers’ needs as a starting point, work backwards, and strip the product down to its bare essentials. For example, Indian telecom giant Bharti Airtel has drastically reduced the cost of providing mobile phone services by sharing radio towers with competitors and outsourcing network construction, operation and support to companies such as Ericsson and IBM*.

Books, articles and reports on the topic are flourishing. They attempt to uncover the parameters that make frugal innovation possible and successful. In short, frugal innovation is not just about redesigning products. It requires rethinking entire production processes as well as business models to squeeze costs and reach more customers who will then wonder, ‘Why buy a $10,000 device if the same company offers a slightly simpler one for $1,000?’

Born in the East, i.e. India, frugal innovation is spreading worldwide. Multinationals are starting to take up ideas developed in the emerging world and deploy them in the West. Have you heard of any frugal device developed in India that might soon become a world hit? Please let us know!

*For more details please see the excellent article Innovation’s Holy Grail, by C.K. Prahalad and R.A. Mashelkar, published in Harvard Business Review.

Will Biogas Help India Reach Swadeshi*?

With growing scarcity of resources, Gandhi’s dream of self-sufficient communities, sustaining their needs from the local environment is more than ever a burning issue. India’s rural areas have an amazing source of perennial and cost-effective energy at their disposal, thanks to biomass. Biogas potential is huge and can contribute to lowering greenhouse gas emissions, alleviating women’s drudgery, and to enhancing rural development.

These renewable energy options are promoted by the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA), which operates under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) through subsidies and information dissemination. The government has organized the National Biogas and Manure Management Programme (NBMMP) nationwide for the promotion of biogas technology and several NGOs have been active in implementing the program on the ground.

Biogas plants transform cattle dung into a clean and particulate-free gas that can be directly used for cooking in rural houses. It sounds simple and would be if farmers were given adequate guidance to install and operate biogas plants, with advice about the appropriate pipes or gas transport. We may well soon see all rural households turn into plant operators for the sake of Swadeshi!

Have you heard of any biogas experiences in rural areas? Please share any promising achievements you know of!

*Self-sufficiency

Community initiative driving equal rights

Sometimes the little details make the biggest difference. In India, where equal rights have yet to mean equal opportunities, it is all in the details. For instance, there are far fewer women than men driving on the country’s roads. Yet driving is an incredibly powerful tool for independence; something NGOs have been quick to understand could serve many women.

Over the past years a number of initiatives have been rolled out to provide Indian women with easier access to cars and driving. Indeed, the sector is promising enough for companies like For-She to appear and grow throughout the country. The business model is built around providing women with access to jobs usually restricted to men, such as commercial driving or personal protection.

However, not all initiatives are for-profit; in Chennai alone, a number of small non-profit organizations such as the Association for Non-Traditional Employment (ANEW) or Human Trip have been offering women free driving lessons and the opportunity to become Auto-rickshaw drivers. Michelin India has joined the effort by offering free training at its site in Chennai. With four hours of classes a day, the program has already enrolled 14 soon-to-be female drivers. With so many ongoing initiatives, women drivers have hit the ground running and they’re going fast.

Eureka for super educational programs: Better learning through better teaching

India produces 3.7 million graduates annually. However, the country has yet to leverage the amazing possibilities of its intellectual treasure trove. One of the reasons stems from the fact that, although India’s economy is growing, its infrastructure still faces big challenges, particularly in education, thus creating an ever-widening gap between urban and rural areas, depriving poorer children of opportunities to learn and climb the social ladder.

But apprenticeship is no easy matter to solve. Thankfully, the NGO Association for India’s Development (AID), founded by Dr. Balaji Sampath, came up with a great idea. The NGO, in partnership with Eureka Child Foundation, established a fully scalable program called Eureka SuperKidz based on three core concepts: 1) Acting directly with children; 2) Active partnering with schools, institutions and civil society stakeholders; 3) Large-scale advocacy with communities, NGOs and Governments.

In Tamil Nadu, the NGO has had the opportunity to implement its program in over 1028 villages, reaching out to 10 additional villages, among which is Thervoy, in Thiruvallur District, with help from Michelin India. Through a very segmented set of lessons with clearly defined goals and methods, the program reached its 100% skills achievement goal for the enrolled children, ensuring that they had learnt and mastered essential core skills (reading, writing and arithmetic), which are essential to the pursuit of their studies. Thanks to AID and the Eureka Superkidz program, a whole new world of opportunities is now opening up to the children of Tamil Nadu.

Honor to those who dare: CavinKare Ability Awards 2012

Admittedly, what the disabled cannot do is obvious. What is amazing is what they can do. If you are looking for examples of unparalleled resolve to struggle for personal achievement, both in society and in personal life, just look at the winners of the 10th CavinKare Ability Awards. The (annual program), jointly organized by the (Ability Foundation) and (CavinKare Pvt. Ltd.), honors achievers with disabilities who have broken conventional barriers to realize their potential.

Created in 2003, the purpose of the CavinKare Ability Awards is to build awareness about the capabilities of the disabled. The awards are given in two categories: CavinKare Ability Award for Eminence and CavinKare Ability Mastery Awards. The Eminence Award is given to a disabled person who has shown a commitment to others that goes beyond personal achievement. The Mastery Awards are given to three people who have achieved excellence in any specific field.

For the 2012 Award ceremony on February 18 in Chennai, the four winners were selected from 131 nominees from 19 different states. Mohammed Iqbal from Ladakh received the CavinKare Eminence Award for his struggle to empower the disabled. In his fight for the rights of others, he has set up the People’s Action Group for Inclusion and Rights (PAGIR). BhavanaBotta, an amazing young woman from Chennai, received the CavinKare Ability Mastery Award. Asteroid cerebral palsy hasn’t stopped her from completing B. Com in corporate secretarial skills. She currently runs Saahaagika, a boutique selling Ahimsa and Organic silk products. CavinKare Ability Mastery Awards were also given to AzeemBolar, a hotel consultant from Bangalore struggling against deteriorating vision, and RiiteshSinha from Karnal, Haryana, who has set up and runs a Datamix computer Center; the boy who was refused admission to most schools has made a dazzling career in computer science.

The disabled want to be taxpayers, too. They also want to contribute to the country’s economy. Striving to build an inclusive society, with equal opportunities for all, is not an act of pity. People need people. Food for thought…

Seven Indian NGOs among world’s Top 100!

It has become pretty fashionable to rank anything and everything. Some interesting top lists, however, can be found. An example? The Top 100 best NGOs, the first-of-its-kind world ranking recently published by The Global Journal – a Geneva-based magazine aimed at promoting “global governance” (Global Journal article).

The NGOs represented on the list are from all over the world. Many are from the United States, Europe, Africa, South America and the Middle East. Among the world’s top 100 NGOs, we are pleased to announce that seven are from India!

The rankings are as follows:
15. Barefoot College (Poverty Reduction)
21. Aravind Eye Care System (Public Health)
22. Pratham (Education)
27. PlanetRead (Literacy)
51. Gram Vikas (Community Development)
74. Rishi Valley Institute for Educational Resources (Education)
75. International Development Enterprises – India (Poverty Reduction)

For the full list of the Top 100 Best NGOs, please see:
(Top 100 Best NGO list)

Is there some refreshing good news from India you want to share? Just let us know!