The panchayati raj ministry is looking forward to sign a memorandum of understanding with multi-national companies based in India and abroad for the development of rural India. The MoUs are expected to be signed in a month.
Panchayati Raj Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar said, "We are in talks with 22 of the business houses and would sign an MoU with leading industrial houses such as Reliance, Tata, Microsoft and others to develop rural business hubs in various parts of India."
Some of the industrial houses which have shown interest in setting up such hubs are, Coca Cola, Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Industries Ltd, Tata Motors, Tata Teleservices, Mahindra and Mahindra, Satnam Overseas, Nandan Biometrics and Deepak Fertilisers. Global software company Microsoft has also shown interest in rural areas.
Advisor to Panchayati Raj Ministry, Amit Goel said, "The companies will be conducting field visits and interact with the panchayats and local authorities for setting up RBHs in the area. The companies will conduct market surveys and then implement their policies to set up a perfect business model in the rural areas."
This move would help the panchayati raj ministry set up common service centres and, in collaboration with local NGOs, impart training to the village people.
As part of its expansion plans in the fruit juice segment, soft drink giant Coca Cola would procure fruits and fruit pulp from the farmers and give them technological inputs to improve the quality of produce, Goel added.
