Techies create first 'smart gaon' in Rae Bareli

Realising that India could not become a smart nation till the fate of its villages changes, two friends, both IT professionals, have virtually single-handedly ushered in a technological revolution at a remote village in Rae Bareli district. Amid a race for smart cities, Taudhakpur could be India's first smart village.

On Sunday, the two friends, Yogesh Sahu and Rajnish Bajpai, found mention in PM Narendra Modi's 'Mann ki Baat'. An app they have created, 'SmartGaon', was lauded by Modi, who said it was close to his dream of Digital India. 'SmartGaon' connects the entire population of Taudhakpur with one another and the outside world.

It also serves as a knowledge and information centre, marketplace, helpline and a development tool. Sahu and Bajpai's definition of SMART as an acronym is telling: 'social security schemes', 'modern urban amenities', 'adoption of smart agricultural practices', 'roads infrastructure and transportation' and 'tech-savvy for the allround development of rural India'.

Sahu told TOI, "Smart does not necessarily mean digitally literate. It is connected to a holistic model o development where an ideal way of life is a living reality.

'Smart' for us is about linking the system with people to find practical solutions to everyday problems. It is about striving to empower local self-government and making people self-reliant." Taudhakpur was chosen because it is Bajpai's home and his elder brother, Kartikeya, is the village pradhan. Bajpai is currently based in San Francisco and travels only once a year to India.

Within a few weeks of the baseline survey being taken at Taudhakpur, the village has achieved open defecation free status, built pucca roads, set up CCTVs, installed a public address system, developed a waste management system, provided safe drinking water to all homes and transformed the primary school and community health center into a model entity.

Besides this, the village also gets 18-20 hours of power supply through use of solar energy and has a Wi-Fi zone. Bajpai drew inspiration from the grit shown by Sahu

The seeds of the idea were sown way back when Sahu and Bajpai met during undergraduate studies in 2000-04 at IIT Bombay. While Bajpai drew inspiration from the grit shown by Sahu, son of a construction labourer, Sahu loved his friend’s simplicity and belief in social equality. The two would often discuss nation-building, using technology to empower farmers and taking development to villages.

“The urban-rural divide always irked and challenged us. But nothing really worked till 2015 when the central government launched a number of schemes. At that time, we thought that we had to act,” said Sahu, who now runs an IT firm

On being lauded by PM, Bajpai said, “We felt great. Recognition is a social reward that further motivates do-gooders while inspiring others.” Bajpai wants their pilot project to serve as a reference point to every techie who wants to give back to her hometown or village. Sahu said, “The PM’s motivating words have renewed our commitment to the cause. We are working to replicate the model in five other villages including my birthplace, Aamdi in Chhattisgarh’s Durg district.”