IDM 2004

President Sees Hope for Villages in India Development Marketplace 2004

New Delhi, June 21, 2004: The President of India, Dr A P J Abdul Kalam presided over the India Development Marketplace, the World Bank’s nationwide hunt for innovative poverty-fighting ideas.

Dr Kalam, the first Indian head of state to visit the Bank’s New Delhi office, spent time walking around the exhibits put up by the 50 finalists at a day-long event on June 21. 

Praising the concept of the IDM, he said, “The valuable experience from these small but important projects needs to be replicated and scaled up, so that their collective knowledge adds to the overall mission that is to bring prosperity to rural India.”

The President said that the World Bank had become a creator and guardian of ‘knowledge capital’. This concept of banking in knowledge is the future path for the world that is entering the knowledge era”.

The theme for the Development Marketplace-2004, held for the first time in India was ‘Improve in Rural Services’ that included access and quality in rural water supply and sanitation, health, education, roads, finance and electricity.

Around 1,500 proposals were received for the competition from across the country. Twenty winners were selected after a rigorous selection process and received US$20,000 each.

The Bank’s contribution was USD 2,00,000   for hosting the IDM while the award financing came from various IDM partners. The Bank also added a special knowledge –sharing grant to the remaining 30 finalists.

A festive atmosphere prevailed at the Marketplace with folk dancers and music adding to the rural theme. Some 350 visitors attended the event, which included presentations from the 50 finalists to a 16-member jury comprising representatives of national and international organizations, as well as government and non-government agencies.

Announcing the winner, the Bank’s Vice President for South Asia, Mr. Praful Patel, said that there were proposals to empower young girls as champions of hygiene, health, and nutrition; ideas to harness fish for malaria control, mobile toilets to improve rural sanitation and someone had also thought of using plants in the management of wastewater.

Some other proposals were harvesting dew along the coast of Kutch , using the solar power for water distillation and proposals to deliver better education in rural areas using participatory theatre, information networks, and community partnerships. “What these and many other excellent ideas have in common is that they aim to make services work for poor people,” he said.

The Bank’s Country Director for India, Mr. Michael Carter explained, “The India Marketplace, just as the global event, underscores the World Bank’s belief that solutions to development challenges can have small beginnings and are often found by those living closet to the problem.”

Mr. Prashant K Das of Lokshakti, one of the award winners added,” The IDM offers a great opportunity to meet creative people and innovators from all over the country, and for sharing new concepts to a wider cross-regional sphere.”

Another winner, Mr. Terry Thomas from ‘Plant Kerala’, called it “an excellent learning platform where similar development mindsets can synergize and get exposure to many new and different ways of thinking.”

Commented Suresh Keswani, former MP and one of the jurors: “ This is a great initiative where the World Bank has extended itself to the lowest common denominator in the rural areas. This will set in motion the centrifugal forces of development at the bottom layer which often gets neglected.

The India Development Marketplace was organized by the World Bank  in partnership with International Finance Corporation (IFC), UK Department for International Development (DFID), World Health Organization (WHO), Microsoft, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Times Foundation, Infrastructure   Leasing and Financial Services(IL&FS), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Ford Foundation, Usha Martin, Ballarpur Industries Limited(BILT), Apollo Tyres Limited and with support from Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM).

These partners contributed not only financially, but in other ways as well. For instance, some contributed assessors, FICCI hosted a Knowledge Forum and the Times Foundation assisted with publicity.