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ChanderiyaanProjectCS:Layout 1 10/12/2012 5:29 PM Page 14Chanderiweaving communities are involved inweaving activities that pass throughsteps such as designing, weaving, apparelproduction, and e-commerce & retail,after the involvement of DEF inChanderi since 2009. The weavers’ objectiveis to earn money through sustainablelivelihood. At the designingstage the weavers learn to create newdesigns on computers at the resourcecenter (internet enabled). At the secondstage, they put those design intothe handloom for weaving. Finally, thefinal products get ready for being soldthrough retail outlets and exhibitions.DEF has a fair amount of control overall these activities. Their mission is toempower people who are engaged inthese activities by providing correct information.At the first stage DEF impartstraining to them on computerizedtextile designs. Before the weavers startactually weaving, DEF provides raw materials’linkages to them. After completionof the final products, DEF providesspace for stocking them, which it thentries to sell through its e-commercewebsite. It also encourages participationin exhibitions in nearby towns (some ofthe master weavers have their own salesteams and make trips to exhibitiontowns for one week at a stretch).Media Lab Asia is also involved in thisproject. Its objective is to establish andfacilitate ICT application. MLA is supplyingICT resources including cardpunching machine, CHIC, CARPET, andCAD software. It has trained twelvemaster designers for assisting theweavers. MLA is also attached with DEFfor building up the e-commerce website.Government of India’s motive is the promotionof IT-ITES enable service industry.To ensure the project’s success theMinistry of Information Technology hasprovided funds and is monitoring theCWIRCTRC project at every stage ofproduction as well as the attainment ofits finality in reaching it to the ultimateconsumers. Currently, the ministry ofIT is concerned with making theCWIRCTRC project sustainable so thatDEF can exit this project to concentrateon other projects and the local Chanderiweaver’s communities (many time representedby their SHGs) can take chargeof themselves.Chanderi weavers’ community removes/reduces spatial separation by participatingin exhibitions, or by selling their produceto master weavers who can thensell the same in fairs. This is a major departurefrom the past when poor weaversnot only received very low weavingcharges (much lower than the amountmandated by government), but were alsoexploited by master weavers and keptaway from the markets. Nowadays customersare able to interact with theweavers during exhibitions. Moreover,weavers are now able to produce the fabricfaster than before, which is actuallyremoves or reduces temporal separation,given the reduction in designing time andcosts, besides the weaving time. Weaversalso share information regarding differentexhibitions among themselves. ByIn fact the entire Chanderi town is wi-fi enabled by DEF, and the entire cost of accessing internet is borne byDEF (reimbursed by Deptt of ITC, Government of India), but it is free to use by localities.14From Market Separation to Market Development at Bottom of India’s Socio-Economic PyramidA CAse study on digitAl empowerment FoundAtion’s ChAnderiyAAn projeCt
ChanderiyaanProjectCS:Layout 1 10/12/2012 5:29 PM Page 15doing this they help remove/ reduce informationalseparation. They reinvesttheir profits into their business, whichmeans that financial separation also getsremoved or reduced. Weavers are alwaysaggressive towards learning- this reducesknowledge/ capability separation. For example,during the visit to the Chanderisite, the case writers met many hithertounemployed children of weavers who arenow actively engaged in some role in thesupply chain of the business with somein sales, some in designing, while othersare directly involved in weaving.DEF has also launched an e-commercewebsite [http://chanderiyaan.net/] thathas been successful in removing/ reducingspatial separation between thebuyer and the seller. DEF has also introducedICT-based services for Chanderiweavers. Introducing newtechnologies to the unpenetrated areashelps remove/ reduce temporal separation.Weavers earning more weavingcharges (when they weave for othermaster weavers) or getting more profitswhen they weave and sell directly, hasled to reduction in financial separation.DEF provides training programs oncloth design, apparel design, and finishedproduct design, which enhancesthe weavers’ knowledge-base. This how,knowledge/ capability separation getsremoved/ reduced.DEF is closely attached with SHGs thatwere formed by DEF. Working closelywith these Self-Help Groups DEF hasbeen proving them with capital. It alsohelps them manage the capital and monitorhow the capital is used in terms ofpurchasing of raw materials, payingweaving charges, and collecting themoney from the market after selling.There is also a production manager, amember of the SHG, who manages theproduction and marketing of the productsand is paid a salary from DEF. Atthe end of the year, profits generatedfrom these operations are distributedamong the SHG members. At the time ofmlA activities have also helped to remove/reduce separation. mlA, in collaborationwith de, proving iCt-basedsupport in CwiCtrC, where all theweavers are working together reducingspatial separation. mlA has also introduceda card punching machine, ChiC,CArpet and CAd software tool, which ishelping reduce designing time leading toreduction in temporal separation. the entirecost of this technical setup has beenborne by ministry of it, thus helping indirectlyreduce market separations in theChanderi market. Besides, mlA and deFare providing training and supply technicalequipments, which actually help theweavers reduce/ remove knowledge/ capabilityseparation. mlA has been instrumentalin developing, implementing, andoperating the e-health project that aimsto keep the weavers healthy at all timesand ensure that no setback occurs totheir regular incomes. mlA has also beeninstrumental in promoting tourism atChanderi by operationalizing the tourismwebsite and providing mobile-based informationto tourists.writing this case, the economy of theChanderi weavers was estimated by DEFto be approximately Rs 150 crores, ahuge leap from around Rs 70 crores inless than 3 years.Broadly speaking, there are three stagesin the supply chain- sourcing, manufacturing,and retailing. At each stage ofthe supply chain, DEF has reducedmarket separations. After DEF came toChanderi it provided over 30 handloommachines to the poorest weavers enablingthem to weave and earn a livelihood,thus reducing spatial andfinancial separations. Raw material isanother important aspect of weaving.Here DEF provides linkages, whichagain helps remove/ reduce the separations.Weavers play the main role inFrom Market Separation to Market Development at Bottom of India’s Socio-Economic PyramidA CAse study on digitAl empowerment FoundAtion’s ChAnderiyAAn projeCt15
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