Baburayanakoppal (Karnataka), Sep 7 - For 23-year-old graduate Jayalakshmi, getting a job as an executive at a business process outsourcing (BPO) firm was a dream. But getting it at her village here, near the historic Srirangapatna town in Mandya district, was the icing on the cake.

'Who could have imagined working at a BPO centre, that too in my village? I was planning to shift to Bangalore to get a BPO job. But then to everyone's surprise, the BPO came to my village. I applied and was selected,' a delighted Jayalakshmi told IANS .

Echoed Jagadish, 22, a fellow villager: 'Now I can have a decent income, and make best use of my education and skills in my village itself. I don't have to migrate.'

Jayalakshmi and Jagadish, along with 120-odd youths, are part of India's first rural BPO that has been set up in this tiny nondescript village, about 150 km from India's IT hub Bangalore.

The BPO, Mpro Solutions, started operations Aug 7 and is supported by the Karnataka government, which wants to show India how information technology (IT) can change the rural economy. Its target: create almost 100,000 jobs in the hinterland.

'There is a gold mine here,' said Mpro director B.S. Venugopal. 'Talented youngsters from rural areas could be an asset.'

According to Ashok Kumar C. Manoli, Karnataka's Principal Secretary for IT and BT and Science and Technology, the initiative would change the economy of the countryside.

'Creation of rural BPOs will automatically stem large-scale migration of educated rural youth to urban areas,' Manoli told IANS.

'The new initiative is expected to enhance the IT skills of the rural population and create jobs for them.