‘Rural IT Model’ by Mandeep Kaur Sidhu Sets Example

Remote Tangra village-based entrepreneur Mandeep Kaur Sidhu, or “Tangra,” was shocked to get an invitation to join the Sikh delegation that will be entertained by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his Delhi residence on Friday. Tangra lives over 25 kilometres ahead of Amritsar.
Over 100 young, IT-trained professionals from Amritsar, J&K, and Chandigarh can now find work in the white-collar sector thanks to Mandeep, a 34-year-old who founded SimbaQuartz in her hometown.
She was on the PM’s guest list of the Sikh delegates in recognition of her efforts in doing a sort of ‘reverse migration’, under which the youth from bigger cities are getting global-level job opportunities in a village.

“I got the opportunity to have a face-to-face talk with the PM for three minutes. I even apprised him of my initiative. It was an honour to be a part of the Sikh delegation from across the world,” she added.
Notably, this is not the first time when Mandeep has caught the fancy of Delhi ascendancy. Just three days ago, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal responded to Mandeep’s tweet related to her ‘rural IT model’.

Earlier, prior to the Assembly elections in February, Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia too visited SimbaQuartz and stated that India ought to establish the ‘IT villages’ instead of ‘IT cities’.

Born and brought up in a humble family, it was never easy for Mandeep to be an entrepreneur. Her father Sarbjit Singh ran a small flour mill, which was the only source of income of the family of four.
She worked as a clerk in Amritsar after earning her MBA with honours from Lovely Professional University in Jalandhar. But she opted to use her skills as a job generator rather than immigrate to the US with her husband, Mandeep Singh Sidhu.

Since its founding in 2012, Simba Quartz has offered services in digital marketing, graphic design, video editing, and the development of mobile and web applications. What began with only three female employees has grown into a business with an annual revenue of around Rs 3 crore.