KVK ADDS ANOTHER FEATHER IN ITS CAP !
SMS SERVICE IN MARATHI LAUNCHED FROM 01 JUNE 2008 !!!
Mobile SMS Broadcast Service
The KVK has pioneered for the first time IT enabled service aiding instant messaging from KVK to individual farmers for extending Agricultural information through SMS alerts. The service comprises sending Short Message Service alerts on cellular phones registered at KVK by individual farmers. Weekly SMS alerts are issued on various agricultural developments like weather forecast, disease forecast, market information. The service is also being used as a medium to send information on important trainings and other programmes to the members of the Farmers Clubs and SHG network under the KVK.
The service is an important milestone in reaching out to millions of farmers at a stroke of a mouse click and enable the farmer to have information access and derive the fruits of technological prowess and face the challenge of an upcoming free market.
The service was initially inaugurated at the hands of Minister for Agriculture, Govt of Maharashtra, Shri Balasaheb Thorat on 10 March 2006 on the eve of Annual SHGs and Farmers Clubs Meet 2006 organized at KVK Babhaleshwar that comprised a huge congregation of 5000 farmers belonging to 350 SHG and 150 Farmers Clubs members working under the KVK's flagship capacity building programmes.
The service is a boon for hundreds and thousands of farmers around the KVK within Ahmednagar District. There are currently 241 registered farmers availing this service on paid basis from KVK Babhaleshwar. All registered farmers who are having cellular mobile handsets supporting all major GSM/CDMA networks compatible for Devnagari Unicode fonts within the country can receive the SMSs from KVK without incurring any cost. The KVK bears all costs of sending the SMS across all the registered farmers having cell phones.
In continuing with the KVK's efforts in dissemination of agriculture technological information, the KVK has further started the Marathi based SMS text delivery for the cellular handsets users within the District. The vernacular delivery module was commissioned with effect from 01 June 2008.
The service has been well appreciated by the farmers who have said such a service by the KVK is just in the nick of time when farmers have their crops ready for market. The number of farmers coming to the KVK is growing day by day and the KVK expects to add another couple of hundred farmers by the end of this year.
Precautions for Subscribers of SMS Service:
1. The mobile handset should support Devnagari Unicode font. The handsets that do not support Devnagari Unicode font is mentioned herewith: Nokia N70, Nokia 7610, Sony Ericsson W550i, LG RD2130, Chinese N83 models
2. The handset can be from any network GSM/CDMA.
3. Set a different receiving ringtone for SMS from KVK Babhaleshwar so that an immediate attention to the KVK alert can be drawn and identified from various other advertisement based SMS deliveries.
4. Download the SMS Service Registration form, fillup and submit the same to the KVK alongwith the subscription of Rs 100/- per annum.
