Drishtee Development and Communications Ldt.

Industry: Rural Manufacturing
Headquarters: Delhi, NCR
Partner: February 2012 – December 2016
Jobs Created: 20

Drishtee is a social enterprise that provides goods and services across rural India through locally owned village kiosk franchises. The kiosks provide services such as health, education, banking, microfinance, and livelihood services, as well as market linkages for independent farmers and other agri-processors. 

Upaya and Drishtee Development and Communications Ldt. came together in a pilot social venture collaboration to create new opportunities for rural artisans to rely on their trade to earn a stable and dignified living. This pilot project with Drishtee filled gaps in regional value chains by connecting groups of producers in rural communities across Assam, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh with raw material suppliers and wholesale buyers of their products. The pilot provided these groups - known as Community-Owned Enterprises (COEs) - with the technical training, management infrastructure, and market linkages needed for community-level entrepreneurship to thrive beyond their immediate area.