ISB

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Checking in on CGAP and Branchless Banking

When I heard that Gautam Ivatury of CGAP would be at NYU’s “From Innovation to Impact” Conference, I thought it would be a great time to follow up with my previous interview with him.  While he did not have time to talk…

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Engineers for Social Impact (E4SI) 2009 Fellowship Program

E4SI is an ambitious fellowship program that we encourage everyone eligible to apply to:

The Engineers for Social Impact (E4SI) fellowship program has commenced its second annual rigorous recruitment process to match the most talented ten undergraduate students from fifteen elite…

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Rang De: India’s First Microlending Site

Moneycontrol.com reports the launch of India’s first peer to peer microlending site, RangDe.org.  The site explains the driver behind an online forum for microloans:

Rang De is a unique platform for individuals to become Social Investors and connect with borrowers of microcredit…

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Cutting-edge initiatives in Punjab

The government of Punjab has been in the news this week, unveiling cutting-edge efforts to boost the local economy and build knowledge capital in the state

The government announced a partnership with Bharati Wal-Mart, a national retail chain to set-up skill…

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TC-I Fundwatch: Madura Micro Finance to get $4.52 million from Unitus

Madura Micro Finance has received an investment by Unitus Equity Fund to ramp up their offerings to women self help groups (SHGs) in rural India.

Madura Micro Finance will use UEF’s funding to increase its management bandwidth and institutional capacity as…

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TC-I Fundwatch: Omidyar Network and Unitus invest Rs. 60 Crore in Comat Technologies

The market for double bottom-line investments in India is becoming hotter and hotter. Interestingly, its not just the microfinance institutions who are attracting the capital. We reported earlier in TC-I about MokshaYug Access, securing $2 million in funding from Unitus and…

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A (micro)creditable partnership

India Post has inked an agreement with National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) to facilitate micro-credit to women-run Self Help Groups (SHG) in eight states and north eastern states.

In this strategic partnership, India Post will lend the unparalleled reach it has…

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Smart Cards for a Smart Nation

[Story source: Business Standard]

Recently, Business Standard carried three articles under the Smart Cards byline. The articles – “Smart choice, sloppy plan“, “Andhra villagers now have pension on their fingertips“, “From Dhenakal to Bellary” – track the introduction of smart cards…

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[Guest Post] (Op-Ed): India announces “safe” climate change action plan, misses a chance for international leadership

Editor’s Note: Guest Blogger Jordan Bower is an intern at Indicorps, where he is promoting growth of Ultimate Frisbee in Ahmedabad as a means of inspiring leadership and community integration among local youth.

The defining struggle with climate change is that…

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Microfinance and Food Rations

In the latest edition of Pragati, the Indian National Interest Review, Ankit Rawal proposes a new approach to the public distribution of food and the use of microfinance institutions. Since the Public Distribution System (PDS) in India has its share of…