We are in times where the Internet isn’t greed, but a need. It’s, in fact, a major birth-right of sorts. Perhaps, it’s impossible to comprehend the contemporary times minus the Internet.
It’s absolutely essential. But while the internet is pivotal for cities and urban centres, one may not have thought of it being a tool of absolute necessity in the villages and towns of India.
But when has time remained the same? Isn’t change the only constant in our lives? Today, no village can have at least a hundred or more youngsters whose lives are not connected to the wider world through the internet.
Wi-Fi has changed the way we talk, think, grow and progress in our life. So if Wi-Fi is such an urban reality of cities, why can’t it benefit those in villages?
Against this backdrop, a number of politicians- yes, often the scourge of the country- implemented the great change for Indian villages.
Under an extensive telecom development plan that envisages the setting up of free Wi-Fi in villages the government has proposed to set up free Wi-Fi in as many as 25,000 Indian villages.
How’s that for some positive news in a country where no day goes without experiencing a crime or undoing of some sort? But are you wondering how come this great step for the better was initiated?
Under the country’s “Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojna”, thousands of villages that were adopted by members of the Indian Parliament are expected to receive internet at absolutely no cost whatsoever.
Mr Manoj Sinha, the Minister of State for Communications informed noted MP Virender Kashyap about the positive development that is expected to raise the overall standard of hundreds of thousands of villages in India.
Elaborating more on the issue, Mr Sinha didn’t just stop there. He added, “One lakh gram panchayats have been connected under Digital India programme in phase one up to December 2017 and an additional 1.5 lakh panchayats will be connected with high-speed internet by March 2019.
He said that 1,13,091 gram panchayats have been connected with high-speed internet by July 15.”
At least ten states that have been affected by the morose activities of left-wing extremism have been earmarked to be uplifted by the strong positive development. Having said that, to allocate free internet facility to these many villages, it is important to take a cognisance of the necessary telecom infrastructure.
Therefore, it is hardly a surprise that as many as 4,072 towers have to be installed in the said number of villages so as to support them with the necessary internet power. The government has already improved the installation of the same as on May 23, this year.
Similarly, Mr Sinha also reiterated that Bharat Net services be expedited especially in the hilly regions. And that said, amongst these are mountainous states like Himachal Pradesh.
Under the aforementioned project, as many as 2,355 locations in left-wing extremism areas were taken up for installation of towers in phase one and told that as of now a total of 2,335 mobiles towers are radiating in these areas. But that these are extensive elaborate projects that may take their own sweet course of time to evidence completion, the country will be well-advised to ensure a timely completion of the necessary activities.
To that regard, the ministers are said to be working closely in order to ensure the carrying out of the concerned activities. And once this dream is, indeed realised, just imagine the quantum of change it would introduce to India- 25000 villages will be powered by something they had, hitherto neither seen and even, barely heard of.
Perhaps, it makes sense to address this special technology Wi-Fi as the high-five of our times.