Mobile outlets with GPS to deliver veggies in GurgaonCome January 14 and residents in posh colonies of Gurgaon will find an easy and smart way to buy vegetables, fruits and dairy products as `fresh green on wheels' will soon be available at their doorsteps. Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) has given green signal to a private company to launch 150 mobile retail outlets in the city and has waived trade license fees for these kiosks.
According to senior MCG officials, the first 30 state-of-the-art outlets by the company Adarsh ThoughtWorks will be launched in upmarket areas like DLF city and Sushant Lok in January.
The outlets will be equipped with Global Positioning System (GPS) devices and will be run by a central control room in Jaipur. Senior officials of the firm claimed these outlets will be eco-friendly and will use alternate technology to preserve vegetables and fruits. For preserving the stock, a green technology incubated by the National Innovation Foundation of India for temperature control will be used.
Interestingly, the owners of these retail mobile kiosks will be women from the economically challenged urban communities. "We have joined hands with 16 NGOs which will help us pick women self-help groups. These women will be given training to operate real time software and hardware platforms attached to the mobile kiosks. They will also be provided micro home loans, insurance and education for their children,'' said Aditya Bhardwaj, managing director of the company.
In addition to selling fresh greens and dairy products, the pushcarts will also double up as `Mobile Citizen Service Centres' where citizens can submit and collect various forms and documents related to the civic body, Aditya added.
"With 150 in Gurgaon and 1500 in Delhi and NCR, we plan to launch over 25,000 mobile kiosks in 25 cities in a span of one year. The project will provide self-employment to 9,000 micro-entrepreneurs,'' Aditya said.
Officials said the customers will be able to order a large number of commodities sourced from rural economic zone developed by the firm through a call centre for home delivery within minutes. The rates of all the commodities will be fixed.
Meanwhile, the facility has generated interest among residents even before its launch. Said Homemaker Mala Verma, "I am eagerly waiting for the outlets to be launched. I am happy I will not need to stock vegetables anymore and get them fresh at my doorstep everyday. This will save my time and money without even compromising on quality.''
