Mousam Jain (22) wakes up early every day to get to the office and work on software development with his friends. In the past year, he and his colleagues from Dalpatpur, have worked on integrating Hotel Supplier API on a technology platform using GoLang. This solution is being used by a multinational travel company to integrate with some of the top hotel suppliers in the world!

How did Mousam and his friends come across this opportunity? Is it possible for a village of no more than 5000 people to contribute to the global technology market? How is Bharat connecting with the world? Let’s find out…

The heart of India lies in its villages, in small districts, little towns. It is these unknown, undiscovered places that can very well be the home to latent talent, in their unexplored resources. What resources? The most powerful one known to mankind, People! India has a burgeoning population of over a billion people with nearly 70 % residing in rural or semi-rural areas. People residing in such places should be a huge part of our workforce. But unfortunately, that’s not always the case.   

Despite having a strong figure in numbers, such places and people belonging to non-urban locales often find themselves deprived of opportunities that their urban counterparts have.  

Their local economy is often left to wilt when the young, educated citizens move out in search of greener pastures.  

In short, these places lose the opportunity to prosper, further widening the economic and social gap between rural and urban India.   

The idea that the rural population is not educated or as astute, is a myth. Rural India had a literacy rate of 73.5% in 2021. 81% of men 65% women are literate in rural section of India. What they need is an opportunity that would empower them.  

The question is:  

Qtech Software answered this question and came up with solutions that would change the social and economic structure of a small village in the heartland of India.

2020 was supposed to be a year of unlimited possibilities, but all of that was erased in a heartbeat when the lockdown was imposed. The covid pandemic was a surreal experience that resulted in a lot of people working from home. On the other hand, many lost their jobs and livelihood. Amid this, the idea of getting a job or an opportunity to go job hunting was unthinkable. This left a good number of young, educated people in a lurch where they found it difficult to fend for themselves despite having the education and the zest needed.   

This left a good number of young, educated people in a lurch where they found it difficult to fend for themselves despite having the education and the zest needed.   

One of the many who returned to their hometown to be with their family during those trying times was Nitin Jain, Assistant Vice President of Projects at Qtech Software. Nitin Jain hails from Dalpatpur, a village in Sagar District, Madhya Pradesh. Once there, he observed that many graduates found it difficult to find a job. These were young, freshers with engineering degrees or degrees in IT. These youngsters would usually have to leave their village to seek out jobs and eke out a livelihood. Their inability to search and seek out job opportunities within the limitations of their location was aggravated by the pandemic.   

Nitin could empathize with them and decided to do what he could, to help them. He recognized the talent and zeal to achieve that these freshers had. He pitched the idea of training and possibly employment to the village and Jain community elders. They welcomed the idea enthusiastically. Along with their permission, The Jain temple trust offered their available facility for the endeavor.   

Nitin saw great opportunities in this initiative. Once trained, these talented freshers could be a part of our software development projects. This in turn would generate much-needed employment opportunities in Dalpatpur and nearby villages.   

Qtech Software saw this as an opportunity to do something for the community while also playing a huge role in contributing to the workforce of India. Qtech covered the training expense. But walls and people alone do not constitute an office or a development center. The Qtech Software team in Mumbai worked in full tandem with the team back in Madhya Pradesh. The logistical necessities like computers, desks, and other equipment were shipped to Dalpatpur from Mumbai.  

After Nitin received approval from Qtech Software, he evaluated and selected aspiring candidates from his native villages and nearby villages. Those interested in learning and making a living in the software technology space could attend. This included tech and non-tech graduates, both men and women.

This was a community effort during one of the darkest periods in world history. Despite a raging pandemic, people from two different states, and different walks of life came together for a brighter future for the next generation.   

Various channels of advertising were used to make the idea a reality within six months of its conception. Nitin met with prospects and their families to explain the concept in detail and convinced them to let these young people have a chance at learning and earning.   

The students themselves were quite eager to learn and the number of students who have since registered, trained, and been onboarded is a testament to this.   

The biggest challenge was, providing the facility with everything it needed to be functional and effective. But with local support, all of these challenges were met head-on.   

Assembling the infrastructure, including computers, projectors, furniture, fixtures, etc., was another area where coordination proved crucial.

Qtech Software team in Mumbai and the teams working in Dalpatpur were able to set up an operational facility where we have teams that work on major projects. 

The cost of operating there is very low at the moment. Villagers and community members highly appreciated Qtech’s efforts to provide such opportunities for young, employable aspirants.  

Sagar District has the oldest and largest university in Madhya Pradesh. There are more than ten colleges in the district, including engineering, medical, and other streams. Which means that there is no dearth of potential talent.  

We have facts and figures indicating a clear shortage of employment opportunities. There is also a considerable skill shortage in the IT sector in India.  

The skill demand-supply gap is going to increase as the world becomes increasingly digital. The easiest way to bridge these gaps is by training aspirants and providing them with employment.    

The digital India that we are so ardent about creating can only become a reality, when we utilize the workforce from our rural areas.   

The impact this initiative has on the overall social and economic structure of a village is visible.   

Most job seekers who hail from small towns or villages have to leave their homes and hometown to seek opportunities. But when we provided employment in a small village, these talented, spirited young men and women were able to stay in their hometowns and have jobs and earn well.   

The first batch of ‘Qtech’s ‘Remote Development Center Program’ was a resounding success. But success isn’t just measured in terms of the people we were able to hire, it’s the impact this idea created. After the first batch, we had second and third batches that resulted in Qtech hiring more people. In total, we have not just provided employment but also trained a good number of young men and women.  

In total, we have not just provided employment but also trained a good number of young men and women.  

• 26 People were trained in the first batch, and 8 were made full time employees by Qtech Software.  
• 50 People were trained in software testing and development in the second batch of which 11 were selected and offered full time employment by Qtech software  
• 50 people were trained in the third batch. 

The team of Dalpatpur currently works on multiple projects with organizations all over the world. Its Working with Qtech software has given them a chance to work with prestigious international clients. This not only broadens their horizons but adds to their experience as well. All of this has been made possible without them leaving the comfort of their hometowns.

The first two batches of trainees were mostly from Dalpatpur. But now the word of mouth has spread and with the awareness we have generated, more applicants have shown interest. The latest batch consists of prospects from the villages and towns near Dalpatpur. The people in and around this village are happy to join in or send their children to our remote center program.   

The economy of a village or town will always depend on how prosperous its inhabitants are. When citizens migrate to bigger towns and cities, it dims the chances of economic growth. But to strengthen the grassroots, the villages of India, we need a working population that will stay in the village, be an earning member, and bolster the local economy.     

With this initiative, our newly added employees from Dalapatpur are now the working population. These young people would have otherwise migrated to bigger cities.   

Here is where our team is in 2023

In 2023, we have trained 3 batches and are currently employing 33 people from Dalpatpur who work for Qtech. The Jain temple trust had very graciously offered facilities for training purposes. In 2023, we constructed an additional workspace in the same building and are now renting it from the temple trust.