CANTON, MICHIGAN, USA, Oct 8 2011 - Rickshaw Bank, a project of the Centre for
Rural Development (CRD), has been named as a laureate of the Flextronics
Economic Development Award this year. The award will be
presented later this month in Santa Clara, California, USA.
The Flextronics Economic Development Award is a part of the Tech
Awards, named after the prestigious Tech Museum in Silicon Valley,
California. The awards are in five categories - Environment, Economic
Development, Education, Equality, and Health. Each category has multiple
laureates and one laureate in each category will receive a cash award
of $50,000, to be announced during the awards ceremony on October 20,
2011.
Rickshaw Bank was named a laureate for its social development
impact to improve the lives of thousands of marginalized rickshaw
pullers with below-poverty-line incomes. Starting in 2004 with 80
rickshaw pullers in Guwahati, the program has scaled to 5,000 pullers
all over Assam.
The project provides an asset-based loan to the puller to purchase a
technologically superior rickshaw, known as the Dip Bahan, originally
designed by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati, and
manufactured by CRD. Pullers are able to pay off the loan to CRD agents
in convenient daily installments over a period of 18 months, after which they
can keep all their daily earnings as owners. CRD also provides the following
services to the pullers:
- Licences/training on rules and regulations
- Uniforms to help identify drivers
- Property, casualty insurance
- Cooking gas connections for families
- Cash loans, after full on-time repayment of rickshaw loan
- Low cost health care services for the family
Dr. Amarendra Kumar Das, Head of the Department of Design, led the
team in IIT Guwahati that originally designed the Dip Bahan. Based on
active field testing in partnership with CRD and other organizations,
the Dip Bahan has made over 30 improvements to the traditional rickshaw
design, including:
- Lowered rickshaw weight to 75 kg from 95-105 kg to reduce strain on the puller
- Lowered footrest to 17 inches from 21.5 inches to help women, children, and
elderly people in getting on and off
- Changed the brake and lighting systems to make it safer
- Added better covering from sun and rain for both puller and passengers
- Used tubular iron pipe instead of wood for body parts to increase functioning
life
- Added more luggage space for passengers
Assam Foundation of North America (AFNA), a volunteer-based
non-profit organization registered in USA, that has served charitable
interests of Assam and the USA since 1982, submitted the application for this
award. As part of the application process, AFNA submitted detailed information
about the contributions of all stakeholders in the Rickshaw Bank project,
including those of CRD and IIT Guwahati. Representatives
from AFNA will join the executive director of CRD, Dr. Pradip Kumar
Sarmah, who has been invited by the awards organization to attend the
ceremony.
AFNA is proud to be able to support this effort involving two
organizations from Assam, whose combined contributions are benefitting
one of the poorest segments of urban workers in India.
Further information about the organizations named in this press release can be
found at the web sites listed below:
- The Tech Awards:www.techawards.org
- Centre for Rural Development:www.crdev.org
- Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati:www.iitg.ac.in
- Assam Foundation of North America:www.assamfoundation.net
http://www.assamfoundation.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=77:rickshawbankpressrelease-08oct11&catid=39:welfare-news
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