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NEWS-INDIA: SQL STar winds Rs 80 crore agri marketing project
SQL Star International has bagged a pathbreaking 'e-agricultural
marketing' project on a Build-Own-Operate (BOO) basis, worth Rs 80 crore
from the Madhya Pradesh Agricultural Marketing Board. Under this project,
all oeprations of 299 mandis in Madhya Pradesh will be available online.
The project, the first of its kind in the country, is a unique model of
public-private participation in information technology for the
agricultural sector.
"SQL Star will provide IT infrastructure to put all 'mandis' in Madhya
Pradesh online using state-of-the-art technologies, including a relational
database, smart card interface, connectivity over VSATs,
videoconferencing, and 24X7 live interface of 'mandis' with regional
offices and the head office in Bhopal," a company spokesperson said.
It will also provide modules for farming interaction from the mandis
through videoconferencing for knowledge enrichment on best agricultural
practices, and transmission and sharing of the agriculture department's
data. The transmission backbone will also be made available to other state
government departments for a nominal fee.
Through this e-agriculture marketing project -- named E-Krishi Vipnan
(EKVI) -- SQL Star endeavours to establish a new generation of fully
transparent agricutural marketing practices.
"SQL Star will work towards a goal where farmers will no longer bring
their produce to the mandis. Instead, they will sue e-transactions to sell
their prodce online, thereby reducing their transit and handling losses
and optimising price realisation. The project will set an example of how
IT can revolutionise rural India," the spokesperson said.
SQL Star will implement this project on a BOO basis over 6.5 years after
approval of the pilot.
It will provide all the required hardware, software, connectivity and
operational support. The company will also develop application software
for the entire gamut of mandi transactions to make for faster transactions
and lesser paperwork within the mandi yard, cutting down on time spent by
both farmers and traders.
Payment of mandi fees and filing of returns by traders will also be
facilitated. The software will provide a daily listing of commodity prices
locally and at principal centres. This will help farmers optimise their
selling decisions and traders to make their pruchase decisions, as
information would be provided in real-time.
Reconciliation of accounts and issuance of various certificates will also
become easier. (EXPRESS COMPUTER June 23, 2003)
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Frederick Noronha (FN) | http://www.fredericknoronha.net
Freelance Journalist | http://www.bytesforall.org
http://goalinks.pitas.com | http://joingoanet.shorturl.com
http://linuxinindia.pitas.com | http://www.livejournal.com/users/goalinks
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