Dear Friends,

Welcome to 2024! We are excited to begin the year with some great news. Govt of Meghalaya has received two prestigious CIPS 2023 Awards for Innovative Public Health Projects, the first being Positive Public Health Management PPHM and the second being Meghalaya Drone Delivery Network. At SVM, we view this as a compliment to our organization, given the close association with both awarded projects. PPHM initiative was spearheaded by our Executive Chairman, Dr. Anil Shah, who worked closely with our Nodal officers and other stakeholders and was appreciated as a game-changer. As for the Drone Delivery project, SVM along with other stakeholders was the first to carry out this pilot in the state Read all about it in this issue.

In our ongoing commitment to rural development, SVM, in collaboration with an Education Partner, is launching a new FLN Education Project to showcase our impact through Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) Solutions in around 100 schools in Meghalaya. Stay tuned. There are details to follow in the coming weeks.

Our Household & Sustainability team is also making significant strides in expanding our water management project to reflect our dedication to community well-being. Following a successful water management demonstration at Umiam Lake last year with our AI technology partner, Clearbot, a new location for expanding the pilot has been identified and will be launched in the coming weeks.

Finally, we are launching our Rural Entrepreneurship Support Project in collaboration with Prime Hub Meghalaya to support agripreneurs, artisans, and entrepreneurs with branding, value addition, and market linkages. Read our latest blog to learn about Meghalaya Honey and the inspiring journey of the Beekeeping Mission. Together, we are making sustainable changes and fostering health, education, and environmental initiatives in rural communities.

We hope you will join us on this inspiring journey.

If you are a company, NGO, donor, or solution provider that would like to participate in pilots, or if your firm's CSR objectives align with our work in socio-economic development, we'd love to hear from you! Please connect with our Director of Communications: [email protected]

We are thrilled to announce that the Government of Meghalaya has been honored with two prestigious CIPS Innovation Awards 2023 by the Centre for Innovations in Public Systems, Hyderabad. The FIRST award, achieved under the leadership of Sampath Kumar, IAS, acknowledges the commitment to Positive Public Health Management in Meghalaya. The SECOND award, under the guidance of Mr. Ram Kumar S, IAS, recognizes the efforts in establishing the Meghalaya Drone Delivery Network. This recognition is a testament to the project’s groundbreaking approach to public health.

At Smart Village Movement (SVM), we take this as a compliment to our organization, as both of these awarded projects are intricately associated with us. Smart Village Movement implemented the Positive Public Health Management (PPHM) project under the leadership of Mr. Sampath Kumar (IAS) and Mr. Ramkumar S (IAS) while drawing medical expertise and inputs from our Executive Chairman, Dr. Anil Shah. We also take immense pride in being the organization that pioneered the first pilot for drone delivery of medical supplies in Meghalaya. The success of this pilot led the Government of Meghalaya to adopt the hub and spoke model for the Drone Delivery Network project, which is now scaled up under the Meghalaya Health System Strengthening Project funded by the World Bank. Read More

The ASER 2018 India report states that 73% of Std 3 students cannot read a Std 2 level text while 81% of Std 3 students cannot solve questions on subtraction. Foundational literacy is crucial as it lays the groundwork for lifelong learning, empowers individuals, and contributes to overall community development. However, challenges such as limited access to quality education, inadequate resources, and regional disparities hinder progress in foundational literacy.

To address these challenges, the Smart Village Movement is collaborating with a renowned organization dedicated to educational initiatives, which will be our education partner in this pilot initiative. Together, we aim to pilot a foundational literacy project in Meghalaya strategically designed to overcome barriers and enhance literacy levels. This collaborative effort seeks to bring a positive impact by creating scalable solutions that can be replicated across various communities, ultimately fostering a culture of education and empowerment. Stay tuned for more project details in the coming weeks! Read

Recall the buzz around Clearbot AI, which captivated the internet for an entire month, evolving into a positive and famous meme. Questions arose about its capability to clean the water bodies in Meghalaya, particularly the Umiam Lake, marred by waste. Citizens expressed their concern and applauded the AI marine bot for its remarkable features.

SVM has a strong interest in promoting and supporting entrepreneurship for sustainable development. To achieve this, we embarked on a project to explore beekeeping in Meghalaya and support farmers with market linkages, open innovation, and brand development. The Smart Village Movement team was invited to a honey-tasting session at the renowned Le Organica farm in December. The farm is home to around 50 bee colonies, with approximately 10,000 bees working hard to produce some of the world’s most delicious honey! During our visit, we met with Srujan Kotum, the founder of Le Organica, who left a corporate career and urban living for Shillong to pursue this passion.

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