| SANTOSH SINGH |
| Patna, May 21: The sight of Asha Jha, once a internet-illiterate homemaker, typing furiously on the keyboard of a computer is an empowering sight. A business process outsourcing (BPO) unit at her Saurath village (Madhubani), 220km from Patna, changed the lives of many rural women like Asha. The 26-year-old today communicates freely with her "clients" in Hindi and admits with a slight smile that she can also manage it "well" in English. Drishtee Development and Communications Limited, a private group, started the Saurath BPOs under the name of Quiver Info-services Limited to generate employment among rural youngsters, who are often at a loss to decide their careers after graduating. Asha's village is just one of the seven villages in Saurath that received the BPO employment boost from April 1, 2007. Eighteen boys and girls have so far been recruited and are undergoing training to become computer literate and speak Hindi and English with fluency and the right accent (or without a pronounced one) at the BPO. The manager of the Saurath BPO, Kamlesh Jha, told The Telegraph: "The thought of starting a BPO in a village was challenging and seemed problematic. But, we wanted to give it a try." He goes on to add: "When it comes to employment, there are less options at the village-level." But the training is not to restrict the youngsters, or the older students, to their villages, as so far 35 boys and girls have been sent to various cities of the country after a three-month training stint. "With our limited resources, we can employ only 17 people at a time. But those we hire are trained enough to work under any BPO or call centre elsewhere," said Jha. The BPO manager, an IT diploma holder from Calcutta, said: "We wish to open more rural BPOs in Bihar, but we are happy taking one step at a time." Saurath BPO gets business from an American insurance company, a leading mobile company and has done some translation jobs as well. The BPO also runs surveys for companies as well. The Drishtee Foundation has opened over 4,000 e-kiosks (including 100 in Bihar) with Internet services all over the country. Asha, a graduate earning Rs 3,000 per month, said: "My in-laws and husband were quite apprehensive about the BPO job, but they are all praise for my communication skills now." Her husband, Giridhari Jha, is a chemist at the village. "For the BPO business, age is no bar. Anyone who has passed his or her Class XII exams can try his luck with our Saurath BPO," said Sanjay Karn, a graduate. His primary concern now is to shed his Maithili accent! |
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Ranjan Rituraj Sinh , NOIDA
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