Crosslinks Foundation expands its MyBit social security initiative in Odisha, India

Bhubaneshwar, March 11, 2022 - Crosslinks Foundation, an innovative charity organization working in the areas of financial inclusion, rural livelihoods and sustainable development, today announced that it has opened a new facilitation center in Badchana Block, Jajpur district, Odisha to increase community awareness and boost enrolments in Government of India's social security schemes for the informal sector. Crosslinks is partnering with SYFT, a DIPP-approved EdTech startup from Odisha, to integrate its "MyBit" brand of financial inclusion services in 200+ InterGram digital development centers to be set up across the state in the next 18 months.
InterGram is an eCommunity center that utilizes high-speed broadband as a medium for delivering relevant services in the area of education, financial services, agriculture and ecommerce and bridge the growing urban-rural digital divide in India. InterGram adopts a hybrid "bits and mortar" delivery model combining physical centers, smartphone apps and mobile vans to ensure maximum and cost-effective coverage of underserved communities living in remote villages. Crosslinks and SYFT will jointly develop specialized training modules, online certification courses and rich multimedia content on financial inclusion topics which will be delivered both remotely over Internet and in-person through MyBit agents at these centers.
Soumyaprakash Das, State Head (Odisha) at Crosslinks Foundation said, "We are excited to inaugurate our first MyBit social security center in Jajpur district. Nearly 1.4 crore people in Odisha live below the poverty line and are not financially literate to understand the intricacies and appreciate the real benefits of various social security schemes formulated by the centre and state government. Crosslinks is attempting to bridge this knowledge deficit by establishing MyBit service centers in rural Odisha that are staffed by trained financial inclusion agents to assist low-income households in the neighborhood. MyBit will employ a combination of cutting-edge informational, behavioral and fiscal tools to encourage rural populations to enroll and regularly save in Government of India's contributory pension schemes such as PM-SYM for unorganized workers."
Sarat Pradhan, CEO and MD at SYFT said, "SYFT is delighted to partner with Crosslinks Foundation for this noble initiative which seeks to vastly expand awareness and access to social security schemes among poor households in Odisha. Over the last two years, SIFI (SYFT Institute for Financial Inclusion) has developed AICTE-approved online certification courses for entry-level jobs in the microfinance sector which perfectly complements the work being done by Crosslinks Foundation in this area. MyBit social security services will form an integral part of our award-winning InterGram e-community centers as we rapidly expand to cover all rural blocks in the state through franchising and corporate partnerships."

Crosslinks Foundation, Bashista 11, Flat 101, Kesora, Bhubaneshwar, Odisha - 751002 India
Contact: Mr. S.P. Das, State Head (Odisha)
spdas@crosslinksfoundation.org
Phone: +918249022270

Founded in 2014, Crosslinks is a registered charitable trust with a vision to harness modern technologies and policy toolsets to fashion lasting social change. Crosslinks focuses on inter-disciplinary social sector challenges in critical developmental areas related to financial inclusion, poverty alleviation and rural development. Crosslinks is working with its national and international partners on a portfolio of projects that involve a strong community outreach component, use of next-generation mobile/web/sensor technologies, and an evidence-based practice through randomized field experiments.

This release was published on openPR.