India, April 28 -- In an inspiring story of innovation and determination, a 30-year-old youth from Shikrapur, a semi-rural town located around 50 kilometres east of Pune, has taken a bold step to address a pressing need in rural Maharashtra - the lack of online food delivery services. Nandakishore Hire, once employed with a Pune-based private company, is now the founder of Maharashtra's first rural-focused food delivery mobile application, aptly named 'Ek Plate'.

His journey from a corporate employee to a grassroots entrepreneur is a testament to the power of local solutions for local challenges. "Every time I visited home, I noticed something - even though people had smartphones and were familiar with apps, there was no way to order foo...