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developed prototypes for products such as bed sheets, table runners, cushion covers, brass drums, curtains, bread baskets etc. Interaction with JETRO specialists included comparison with Japanese products, discussion on raw material selection, technical advice on product development and final quality inspection. Based on this intensive interaction, the villagers produced 123 products and JETRO selected forty out of them for the international market. These products were exhibited in Delhi and Tokyo and they attracted the interest of hundreds of visitors
Loni PURA (Maharashtra): In Loni PURA in Maharashtra, a participative model of integrated rural development has come up among forty-four villages with a population of 80,000 people. The Loni PURA model has been pioneered by the Pravara Medical trust. It is improving the productivity of the rural people through improved quality of life with healthcare, education and employment. The concept is people-centric development for social transformation. The thrust of development has been on comprehensive medical care, particularly for women and children, need-based health education and e-connectivity to the farmers. The complex has created twenty-seven educational and vocational institutions consisting of schools, colleges, and polytechnics, including medical and engineering colleges. It has also created a sugar factory, biogas and chemical plants and power projects. They have a large number of self-help groups for providing loans at low interest for the weaker sections of society. Due to the cooperative effort of the people, literacy in these villages has gone up from 63 per cent to 83 per cent, birth rate has come down, infant mortality rate has decreased to 35 per 1000 from 70 per 1000 and the standard of living has gone up by over 20 per cent compared to other villages in the neighbouring areas.
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