“One of the biggest challenges facing newly industrializing countries like India is how to make full use of the benefits brought by economic development – for the good of the millions of people in the country who earn their living as simple farmers, or manual workers, or in similar ways,” believes Vineet Kumar Goyal, director of the Steinbeis Center for Technology Transfer in India. Accordingly, developments that bring benefit to these people should not be limited to improvements in healthcare provision or living conditions, but better education, training, or employment opportunities. The Indian government has made some important steps forward with a variety of education projects. The Steinbeis Center for Technology Transfer in India is playing an active role in projects aimed at introducing modern technology to help people help themselves.
In every village, town and city in India there are people working or providing services on their own account in small shops, bakeries, barbershops or snack bars. They might be offering services such as train ticket reservations or electricity bill payments, for which they charge a small fee. Most entrepreneurs work in farming or as skilled craftsmen. They are crucial for the long-term development of the country, which is why it is all the more important for India to support these entrepreneurs and give everyone an equal opportunity to be part of the nation’s rapid economic and technological development.
When Vineet Kumar Goyal talks about people empowerment, he is mainly referring to the introduction of modern technology. “Empowerment is not just about improving qualifications in themselves, it requires an environment which promotes development,” he explains. Introducing new technologies can improve conditions for skilled craftsmen, living standards, the educational system but also lots of other areas. This was already India’s experience with the telecommunications revolution ten years ago. Poorer people in rural areas, even people like rickshaw drivers and vegetable sellers, were given access to extremely cheap cell phone technology, opening the door to telecommunication services. This resulted in improved development potential for millions of small business owners throughout the country.
The Hyderabad-based Steinbeis Center for Technology Transfer India is a team member of the Hyderabad Megacity Project (HMP). The idea behind the project is to support businesses that develop sustainability models aimed at reducing energy consumption. Central to the project is the need to involve the population and support individual citizens’ initiatives, as people need to be made aware of the necessity of lifestyle changes. The project is being carried out on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and is being coordinated by researchers at Humboldt University in Berlin.
As part of his work on the project, Christian Kimmich, a researcher at Humboldt University, examined the usage patterns and working practices of thousands of farmers who depend on local wells to water their fields. The aim was to find a way to improve the energy efficiency of watering systems. Working in cooperation with non-governmental organizations (NGOs), local politicians, the authorities, electricity supply companies, trade associations, technical consulting organizations, and trade and industry, the goal was to implement a model aimed at improving the use of engines and pumps, based on sustainable technology. The result of the project was simple: The watering systems used by certain farmers are now equipped with power factor correction units (PFCs) fitted with capacitors. The project aims to form a small farmers’ cooperative which would be responsible for coordinating the maintenance and fitting of PFC capacitors in the long term. A local NGO called the Self- Employed Welfare Society (SEWS) will ensure that farmers have access to the right information and can communicate with one another and exchange views. The Steinbeis Center for Technology Transfer India is providing technical expertise and making its experience available to others. Working alongside CWS Hyderabad, the Pune-based Prayas Energy Group, the Power Systems Research Center at IIIT Hyderabad and the social scientist Philip Kumar, the transfer center is helping SEWS and the collective electric supply society CESS with the setting up of the project, which would then be extended to other areas.
One project at the HMP is called Solar Powered Schools. Its main aim is to develop a sustainable and scalable model for introducing solar energy systems to schools. The Steinbeis Center for Technology Transfer India is supporting the project with consulting services. A number of schools with different financing models will be examined to pinpoint the requirements and possible approaches for introducing solar energy systems. The Nexus Institute from Germany already identified three schools for the project - Sri Aurobindo International School, which is mainly attended by middle-class children in Secunderabad, and Kallam Anji Reddy Vidyalaya - operated by Dr. Reddy Foundation - a school and hostel for the children of migrant city labourers in Hyderabad, and Meridien School - serving the children from higher income group people in the society. Phungmayo Horam of Humboldt University has already worked with school principals, former pupils and parents on funding models based on donations, voluntary support, state funding and saving schemes. The project managers would also welcome financial support from other project partners.
Vineet Kumar Goyal is convinced that the project will be sustainable, particularly given the social and technological nature of the project and the way both mutually dependent factors are being taken into consideration. His goal: Based on experiences with the Hyderabad Megacity Project, he would like to develop further models for implementing the concept in other regions of India.