Redefining the Possibilities
This volume features testimonials from persons with disabilities across eight states who, through the Samarth SoochnaPreneur project, became successful village entrepreneurs after receiving digital training from DEF and EquallyAble for social good.
2021
SSP Narrative Report 2020-21
A concise narrative report of the Samarth SoochnaPreneur Programme (2020–21), highlighting how persons with disabilities were trained as digital entrepreneurs to deliver last-mile information, services, and entitlements, strengthening livelihoods and improving access to government schemes in underserved communities.
2021
SSP_Narrative-Report-2019-20
A concise overview of the 2019–20 Samarth SoochnaPreneur Narrative Report, showcasing how 100 persons with physical disabilities were trained as digital entrepreneurs to strengthen local information ecosystems, link over 12,000 beneficiaries to services via the MeraApp, generate income, and drive community awareness and stakeholder engagement.
2021
Samarth SoochnaPreneur Programme: Enabling Inclusive Digital Entrepreneurship
This report outlines the rural digital entrepreneurship initiative by the DEF and partners that equips persons with disabilities with digital tools (including the MeraApp) to deliver information, services, and entitlement support, enabling sustainable livelihoods and community empowerment across multiple Indian states.
2020
Samarth SoochnaPreneur Status Report- 2019
A Digital Empowerment Foundation initiative that enabled persons with physical disabilities to become digitally trained rural entrepreneurs using the MeraApp, enhancing inclusion, access to government schemes, local digital services, and socio-economic empowerment.
2019
Bridging the Last Mile Gap: Success Stories of SoochnaPreneurs Delivering Entitlements
A collection of stories showing how SoochnaPreneurs helped rural communities access government schemes, entitlements, and essential services, highlighting the impact of last-mile information delivery on livelihoods and social inclusion.
2017
SoochnaPreneur Training and Skill Development Workshop
A workshop report on skill development training for women SoochnaPreneurs, focusing on digital literacy, use of technology tools, and strategies to deliver information and services that enhance community access to government schemes and opportunities.
2018
E-Sakhi Training Report
A report on the E-Sakhi training initiative that empowered rural women as digital information providers by equipping them with ICT skills to facilitate access to government services, schemes, and local opportunities, strengthening community engagement and economic participation.
2018
Training Workshop in Alwar
A one-day capacity-building workshop held on 2 May 2018 for 25 women SoochnaPreneurs from Alwar district, Rajasthan, training them on programme goals, revenue recording, surveys, case stories, computer use, and everyday Soochnapreneur tasks to strengthen their digital service delivery and community engagement.
2018
SoochnaPreneur Training & Skill Development Workshop Report- Barabanki
A workshop conducted on 14–15 April 2018 in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, trained 25 rural women as SoochnaPreneurs, equipping them with tablets, printers, and MeraApp skills to deliver digital services, facilitate access to government schemes, and support community empowerment.
2018
Ranchi Visit Report
A summary of field activities in Ranchi detailing SoochnaPreneur engagements with local stakeholders, community outreach efforts, training follow‑ups, and insights on strengthening digital information access and service delivery through grassroots collaborations.
2018
International Women’s Day – SoochnaPreneur Celebration
A report on International Women’s Day celebrations showcasing SoochnaPrenurs’ contributions, recognizing women digital entrepreneurs’ achievements, and highlighting empowerment, community service, and digital inclusion efforts.
2018
Women SoochnaPreneur Orientation Program Report
An orientation report documenting the 21 Dec 2017 programme that introduced women participants to the SoochnaPreneur initiative, covering objectives, digital tools training, community information delivery approaches, and preparations for their role in expanding access to government services and local opportunities.
2017
Sabal Bharat Yojna
A report on the Sabal Bharat Yojna initiative outlining community engagement efforts to enhance women’s empowerment, social inclusion, and access to government services, showcasing activities that strengthened local participation and digital awareness.
2017
Alwar Report
A field report covering activities in Alwar from 1 to 20 November, detailing SoochnaPreneur engagements, community outreach, digital service delivery, stakeholder interaction, and progress in supporting access to government schemes and information.
2017
Guna Visit Report
A report of the Guna visit on 4 October, documenting activities at the SP centre led by Abdesh, with Rahul supporting. The report details digital service delivery, Mera App usage, customer management, and guidance on maintaining income and expenditure records to strengthen entrepreneurial practices.
2017
Ranchi Field Visit Report
Summary of SoochnaPreneur field visits in Ranchi (21–23 Sept 2017), documenting interactions with centre operators, daily operations, challenges in digital service delivery, and insights on accounting practices to strengthen local information entrepreneurship.
2017
SoochnaPreneur Barmer Field Visit Report
Summary of field visit to SoochnaPreneur centres in Barmer, detailing operations, services offered, digital challenges, revenue generation and outreach efforts of local SoochnaPreneurs in villages like Baitu, Sedwa, Alu ka Tala and Gangasara.
2017
Hands‑on MeraApp Training — Guna, Bargarh & Ranchi
Summary of hands‑on training sessions on the MeraApp conducted in Guna (Madhya Pradesh), Bargarh (Odisha) and Ranchi (Jharkhand) in September 2017, focusing on building digital skills and utilising the app for scheme information and public service delivery.
2017
Alwar Visit Report, 4th September 2017
Summary of the SoochnaPreneur programme review visit to multiple Soochna Seva Kendras in Alwar, Rajasthan on 4 September 2017, detailing field observations, interactions with SoochnaPreneurs, and recommendations to strengthen digital services, community engagement, and operational practices.
2017
Alwar–Barmer SoochnaPreneur Joint Visit Report (Aug 21–30, 2017)
Summary of the SoochnaPreneur team’s joint visit to Alwar and Barmer, Rajasthan, covering Mera App training, engagement with local service providers, exploring franchise opportunities, marketing and community outreach strategies, and observations from Soochna Seva Kendras to strengthen digital services delivery.
2017
SoochnaPreneurs of Alwar — Field Observation Report (Aug 21–22, 2017)
Field observations from six Soochna Seva Kendras in Alwar documenting community engagement, digital services, challenges with documentation, technology and the MeraApp, and insights on enhancing local digital entrepreneurship under the SoochnaPreneur programme.
2017
Guna Field Visit Report — August 17–19, 2017
Report summarising the SoochnaPreneur field visit to Guna, Madhya Pradesh (17–19 August 2017), outlining community engagement, introduction of an integrated digital empowerment approach, Soochna Seva activities, Panchayat Digital Sasaktikaran Abhiyan planning, and efforts to strengthen service delivery and local digital access.
2017
Soochnapreneurship 2017 Consultation Report — Rural Information Society & Economy: Leveraging Citizen Need through Information Enterprise, Digital Skill & Entrepreneurship
Consultation outcomes from the SoochnaPreneurship 2017 event held on 3 August 2017 at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, focusing on rural information ecosystems, digital empowerment, community‑driven information enterprises and strategies to strengthen digital entrepreneurship in underserved regions.
2017
Pre‑SoochnaPreneurship 2017 Event Preparation — Field Visit to Alwar
Brief report on the 8 July 2017 preparatory field visit to SoochnaPreneur centres in Alwar, Rajasthan, documenting centre operations, revenue, MeraApp use, challenges and insights to inform training and capacity‑building ahead of the SoochnaPreneurship 2017 event.
2017
Barmer SoochnaPreneur Project Report – 30 May – 8 June 2017
Field report on initiating the SoochnaPreneur project in Barmer, Rajasthan covering recruitment of 20 SoochnaPreneurs, Mera App training, establishment of Soochna Seva Kendras, ICT tool distribution, and early beneficiary registration targets to strengthen rural digital information entrepreneurship.
2017
Field Visit Report – West Champaran District
SoochnaPreneur field activity report from West Champaran, Bihar, documenting visits to project blocks, hands‑on Mera App training, engagement with SoochnaPreneurs and communities, challenges in service delivery, observations from SP centres and a plan to strengthen digital information services.
2017
Ranchi Field Activity Report – April 2017
Summary of SoochnaPreneur field activities in April 2017, covering community engagement, digital service delivery via Soochna Seva Kendras, MeraApp trainings, partner collaborations, challenges faced, and insights to strengthen local digital entrepreneurship and information access.
2017
Inauguration of Soochna Seva Hub – Chandoli (18 April 2017)
Report on the inauguration of the Soochna Seva Hub centre in Chandoli on 18 April 2017, highlighting launch activities, community participation, objectives of enhancing local digital access and services, and expectations for empowering rural information access via SoochnaPreneur platforms.
2017
MIS Training & Field Visit in Guna District, Madhya Pradesh
Report on MIS training and field visit with SoochnaPreneurs in Guna, Madhya Pradesh, covering data entry practices, challenges with tablets and scheme information, interaction techniques, and action plans to improve information service delivery and local digital entrepreneurship.
2017
Field Visit Report — February 2017 (Alwar, Rajasthan)
Summary of the SoochnaPreneur field visit to Alwar district (2–3 February 2017), assessing SoochnaPreneur centre operations, beneficiary registration, business‑model challenges, MIS progress, community engagement and capacity needs to strengthen sustainable digital information services.
2017
Ranchi–Orissa SoochnaPreneur Visit Report — January 2017
Report on the week‑long Ranchi and Orissa tour to motivate newly recruited SoochnaPreneurs, assess community information centres, conduct capacity‑building workshops, align franchise amendments and plan action for enhanced digital services, MIS adoption and local entrepreneurship under the SoochnaPreneur programme.
2017
SoochnaPreneur Training and Capacity Building Workshop, Ranchi Jharkhand
Report on the Ranchi district‑level training and capacity‑building workshop for SoochnaPreneurs in Itki, Jharkhand. It covers conceptual sessions on rural information markets, entrepreneurship, MeraApp use, ICT tools, community outreach, sustainability and practical field exercises to strengthen digital information services delivery.
2016
SoochnaPreneur Training and Capacity Building Workshop, Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh
Report on the Ranchi district‑level training and capacity‑building workshop for SoochnaPreneurs in Itki, Jharkhand. It covers conceptual sessions on rural information markets, entrepreneurship, MeraApp use, ICT tools, community outreach, sustainability and practical field exercises to strengthen digital information services delivery.
2016
Samarth SoochnaPreneur: Inspirational Stories of Empowerment
Samarth SoochnaPreneur: Inspirational Stories of Empowerment shares real-life journeys of persons with disabilities becoming digital entrepreneurs, highlighting how digital skills foster independence, livelihoods, dignity, and inclusive access to governance, finance, and essential services in underserved communities.
2022
Soochnapreneurs – The new age entrepreneurs
The New Age Entrepreneurs showcases inspiring stories of women SoochnaPreneurs transforming rural India through digital access, highlighting resilience, leadership, and women-led entrepreneurship in bridging information gaps and driving inclusive development.
2022
Strengthening the environment of Public schemes information
A comprehensive report on the SoochnaPreneur initiative focused on strengthening public schemes information dissemination through social entrepreneurship, documenting programme approach, outcomes, impact on rural digital access, and community‑level empowerment via trained SoochnaPreneurs as local information agents.
2021
Building Participatory Institutions for Public Service Delivery through Access to Information in Rural India
Anulekha Nandi in this paper has discussed the strategies to overcome barriers of access to social protection using lessons from DEF’ s integrated access to information and micro-social entrepreneurship programmes.
2019
A Last Mile Access to Information Initiative
This report primarily has tried to assess the extent of gender inclusion in welfare scheme service delivery by SoochnaPreneurs and the demand for varying types of welfare schemes by women in particular.
2019
Establishing Women SoochnaPreneur: A Management & Training Guide for Soochnapreneur
The SoochnaPreneur Model document explains the community‑driven digital entrepreneurship framework that trains, equips and supports local rural entrepreneurs (SoochnaPreneurs) to deliver information, public services, digital and financial services, strengthen local digital ecosystems, and bridge information gaps for inclusive socioeconomic empowerment.
2021
SoochnaPreneur Model: Training Abridged One
The SoochnaPreneur Model – Abridged Training summary outlines key training components and methods from the SoochnaPreneur framework, focusing on digital tools, entrepreneurship skills, public service delivery and steps to prepare rural SoochnaPreneurs for community‑based information and digital services.
2021
SoochnaPreneur Model
The SoochnaPreneur model embodies the concept of bricolage, leveraging locally available resources and intimate community knowledge to address systemic challenges of information asymmetry and digital exclusion in rural India.
2025