BT is working with, Cisco and global charity OneWorld to invest funding and expertise in Indian digital inclusion programme.
"Lifelines is one of the most creative ways I have seen of using ICT technology to bring life-enhancing expertise to remote communities in a way that they can readily access." - Arun Seth, chairman, BT India
You can view a short video about the Lifelines project.
Officially launched on 9th November 2006, Lifelines is a phone-based information service which provides vital information to rural communities in India key to improving their lives. The collaboration between BT, Cisco, and OneWorld International Foundation, is in support of the UN Millennium Development Goal on digital inclusion.
Until recent ICT initiatives like Lifelines, the only source of veterinary and agricultural information available to farmers in rural India is through community meetings and agriculture extension workers. As part of the Lifelines initiative, BT, Cisco and OneWorld are enabling the rural population to access accurate and up-to-date information via a new telephone system. Farmers can now get information by telephone 365 days a year.
BT supports the project with executive leadership and funding, and has also provided commercial and technical expertise critical to making the project a success. This includes support from TechMahindra, a joint venture company in which BT has a 38 per cent holding.
With the new system, farmers dial the Lifelines number and record their question on an automated voicemail system. This message is then picked up by a dedicated knowledge worker from OneWorld who sources the necessary information from a panel of agricultural and veterinary experts linked behind the scenes by sophisticated ICT technology. The knowledge worker then leaves the answer to the question as a recording on the phone, which the farmers can pick up 24 hours later.
According to Peter Armstrong, director OneWorld International Foundation: "There is a huge gap in rural India when it comes to gaining timely and relevant knowledge. Farmers account for 65 per cent of the workforce and many find it very difficult to get access to the information they need. By bringing technology, such as the phone which is the most easily accessible communication tool into rural India, Lifelines is connecting communities and empowering people which brings a new dimension to information exchange."
Lifelines is just one of several community initiatives that BT is involved with in India and is part of BT's long-term commitment to corporate and social responsibility in the communities in which we operate. It follows in the footsteps of KITES and the St. Crispin's IT Training Centre. Using our expertise in technology and communications, BT is dedicated to making a difference in India.