Gram Vaani is a social business organization that uses technology to create media platforms for underserved populations, reaching over 2 million users through its mobile-based community radio platform, Mobile Vaani. This platform allows rural individuals to share and receive information via free calls, enhancing local governance accountability and increasing awareness on various issues. With plans to expand its team, geographic reach, and social campaigns, Gram Vaani aims to further empower citizens and improve transparency in government services.

1. MODEL - SOCIAL BUSINESS
ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW
Gram Vaani (meaning ‘voice of the village’) uses technology to develop media platforms for the hardest to reach
populations. It partners with over 90 organizations to deploy its voice-based technologies, reaching over 2 million users in
seven countries and over 15 Indian states. It runs its own mobile-based community radio platform, Mobile Vaani, primarily
in Jharkhand and Bihar, and also supports over 40 community radio stations nationwide.
THE PROBLEM
Significant rural populations remain ignorant due to
either irrelevant content and language in mass media
or lack of access to any media
A dearth of common platforms for citizen voices
sustains the low level of awareness and accountability
of the local government
WHAT DOES IT DO?
Mobile Vaani allows rural populations to share and receive
information through a free-of-cost call on their mobiles, using an IVR
system. Individuals can record their comments and listen to local
content, primarily generated by other users. This voice-based social
media platform has various uses, including knowledge sharing,
discussion forums, social campaigns to collect data and increase
awareness on specific issues, as well as entertainment. Content
generated on Mobile Vaani is used to increase accountability in
several ways:
Gram Vaani’s partnerships enable revenue generation as well as
increase its citizen reach and impact:
Developed technology to
support community radio
stations, but model didn’t
allow for scale due to lack
of standardization and
poor financial
sustainability
Built an interactive voice
platform (IVR) to leverage
growth in mobile phones
Pilot in Jharkhand for
community to record or
listen to messages on
mobiles found a variety of
uses such as discussion
forums and grievance
reporting
Evolved from being a
technology provider to a
media company that uses
technology; focused on
the Mobile Vaani platform
and built competency in
journalism to curate
content
Scaled Mobile Vaani to
reach over 400,000 users
in Jharkhand and Bihar;
now expanding to two
more states - Madhya
Pradesh and Odisha
GRAM VAANI’s RESPONSE
A media platform that is easily accessible through a
phone call, which empowers people, particularly
those that are illiterate or offline, to share
experiences and gain local visibility. This provides a
forum for citizens to increase transparency and
accountability of government services in rural areas.
Gram Vaani
www.gramvaani.org
Founded: 2009 | Head Office: New Delhi | Coverage: Pan-India | Full-Time Staff: 32
Budget (2013-14): Organization – INR 2 crore; Governance – INR 2 crore
HOW DID IT EVOLVE?
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013-2014
Gram Vaani
Dissemination through mass media: Prabhat Khabar, a local paper
with a daily circulation of 8 lakh, dedicates one page per week to
Mobile Vaani content.
Advocacy through volunteers: Over 150 volunteers engaged
through partner non-profits and local clubs follow up on issues with
local officials, who are more responsive following the transparency
created by media and fear of escalation.
Direct tie-ups with government officials to respond to grievances.
It trains non-profits with local presence to develop citizen journalists
who use the Mobile Vaani platform to mobilize communities.
It provides partners with data generated through targeted social
campaigns, which can be used for advocacy at a national level.
KEY INTERVENTIONS
1. Building awareness and mobilizing citizens
2. Training citizens for public engagement
3. Creating knowledge and evidence
4. Advocacy for policy design and
implementation
5. Technology platforms and solutions
6. Facilitating independent and inclusive
journalism
7. Capacity building of government officials
8. Capacity building of local partners
9. Facilitating platforms for multi-stakeholder
engagement

2. “Initially, our growth was constrained because we were only a technology provider and it was difficult to scale through
scattered NGOs. With Mobile Vaani, we evolved into a media company that runs its own network, which is enriched by
partnerships but doesn’t depend on them. Now, as a media company, our biggest challenge is funding: you need to first
invest in scaling and building a user base; financial sustainability through sponsorships only comes after.”
– Aaditeshwar Seth, co-founder and CEO
citizenvoice policy law servicedelivery thinktank transparency RTI
elections budgets urbangovernance panchayatiraj accesstojustice
technology humanrights independentmedia
A lot of recordings were published on
Jharkhand Mobile Vaani that shared the
details of an illicit land dealing and the
involvement of senior officials and the
Block Development Officer. After taking the
matter forward, the district administration
has suspended the Block Development
officer and other officers involved in the
scam. This quick response of the
government is thanks to the recordings that
were run on Jharkhand Mobile Vaani.
- Sanjay Soren,
from Domchach, Jharkhand (April 2014)
Independent media: Its success is reflected in the level of listenership and participation; Mobile Vaani gets over 5,000
calls per day, 3% involve individuals recording content; it has over 400,000 unique users.
Grievance redressal: Volunteer action or direct government tie-ups have led to a response in over 50 cases, including
cases of corruption around MNREGA job-card issuance, illegal mining and water availability.
Social audits: A two-month health campaign led to responses by 400+ people on the status of public health facilities;
findings were shared with newspapers and television, leading to testimonials on five improved health facilities that
impacted over 100,000 people; similar surveys done on education facilities, MNREGA works.
WHAT HAS IT ACHIEVED?
VOICES FROM THE GROUND
Faculty at IIT Delhi, alumnus of IIT Kanpur and has a PhD
from University of Waterloo (Canada).
IIT Delhi, where Gram Vaani was incubated.
Investors: Digital News Ventures, India Angel Network.
Non-profits: Oxfam, CREA, Breakthrough, CEDPA.
Government: Health and Labour Departments in
Jharkhand, Municipal Corporation of Delhi.
Other Supporters: Knight Foundation, Grand Challenges
Canada, Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation.
Economic Times rated Gram Vaani among the 14
startups to watch in 2014.
mBillionth Award in 2012 and 2013.
Economic Times Power of Ideas 2010.
Manthan Award 2009.
Leadership
Aaditeshwar Seth is the co-founder and CEO.
Partnerships
Endorsements
QUALITY INDICATORS
Gram Vaani
WHAT’S NEXT?
Gram Vaani plans to continue scaling its Mobile Vaani platform through:
In order to scale, Gram Vaani would need to expand its team: its content team, which is responsible for moderating and
curating content; its field team and volunteer base, which mobilize communities to use the platform; and its management
team to take on more projects effectively.
Expansion to new geographies - it recently began operations in Madhya Pradesh and Odisha.
New partnerships with non-profits that can use its platform to mobilize their communities, and in turn increase Gram
Vaani’s reach as well as user engagement.
New social campaigns on issues such as illegal mining in Jharkhand, to expand the uses of Mobile Vaani.
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