The Hindu Business Line : Lason, Jindal Foundation unit in Karnataka

LASON India and the Jindal South West Foundation (JSW) have come together to create BPO (business process outsourcing) jobs at the Vidyanagar Township in Bellary, Karnataka, to facilitate employment for youth from neighbouring villages.

The 20-seat set-up employs young people, mostly graduates, who have been trained for over four weeks, said Mr Pradeep Nevatia, Managing Director and CEO, Lason India, a part of the US-based $170-million Lason Inc. The work includes data conversion, and the turnaround time of projects is 72 hours, while the quality achieved is 99.95 per cent, he told newspersons.

It may be recalled that Lason was one of the first BPO companies to spread to rural areas when, in March this year, it started a centre at Kizhanur, a village in Thiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu.

JSW, a corporate social responsibility (CSR) wing of the JSW group (part of O.P. Jindal Group), has provided the infrastructure, while Lason provided the training, incubated the venture and set standards, he said.

"We strongly believe that BPO is for the masses. It is not an industry but an economy similar to agriculture. Rural BPO will be the next wave because this model makes tremendous sense and has significant social connotations," he said.

According to Mr Nevatia, rural BPOs can address domestic needs such as e-governance that requires huge digitisation. E-governance was currently impeded by the absence of a cost-effective solution, he said.

Mr Ranjit Pisharoty, Senior Vice President, Technology, Lason India, said the company and JSW plan to adopt a hub-and-spoke model and take the concept to nearby villages.

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