ICT Services Infrastructure
Licence fee on TV sets: Euthanasia, or murder?
July 24, 2007, Deccan Herald
A recent proposal to charge a license fee on TV sets in order to build up a fund to support Doordarshan has been met with a huge amount of resistance. However, the critics have apparently failed to grasp the idea of a public sector broadcasting service(PBS) and the considerable benefits of such a PBS. Currently, the government has excessive control over the PBS primarily due to the fact that the funds for the PBS come from the government treasury. This has led to the misuse of PBS by successive governments in order to push their own agenda. A license fee generated fund will be a significant step forward in improving the autonomy of the PBS.
Disaster alert!
December 24, 2007, Sandeep Sharma, Dataquest
This article discusses the vital role played by ICTs in preventing disasters like the Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004. It takes a close look at the Indian National Early Warning System (NEWS) and the Sri Lankan Last Mile Warning System, both put in place in the aftermath of the Tsunami.
Why not a Rs.5000 computer?
January 15, 2008, The Hindu
This opinion piece highlights the fact that despite the existence of several technology initiatives which attempt to the bridge the digital divide, none of these initiatives have managed to reach out to the audiences they claim to serve. While the latest addition to this list is the XO computer by the One Laptop Per Child Project (OLPC), Indian initiatives which have faced similar fates include the Simputer and Mobilus. The author says that its one thing to create a perfect machine like the XO in a research laboratory, making the same initiative succeed in the field is a totally different proposition.
Use space technology and IT for rural development
December 2, 2007, Deccan Herald
The article focusses on the use of space technology for development in the rural sector. Along with geographical information services (GIS), such technologies can be effectively utilised to substantially improve the quality of services delivered by local bodies. The government commission appointed by the Prime Minister has studied the impact of these technologies both in the rural context in Jhabua in Madhya Pradesh as well as in Qatar in the Gulf.
IT superpower : India not a hot spot for Wi-Fi
December 1, 2007, Neelakshi Rana & Harsimran Singh, Times News Network
Though India is a global IT superpower, it ranks among the lowest in the world on the world Wi-Fi index, says this article that reports on this Wi-FI index and examines the developments of Wi-Fi in India. The article finds Wi-Fi especially important to consider because the top Wi-Fi countries also rank among the top 30 in the 2007 UN Human Development Index.
Low cost handset: Connecting Bharat with India
November 6, 2007, Rahul Gupta, I-Government.in
The article focusses on the current disparity in tele-density between urban and rural India with regard to mobile penetration and how low cost handsets can contribute to bridging this gap. The author notes that the primary barrier in the spreading of mobile services to the rural population is the prohibitive price of the handset. However, the scenario is now changing with the service providers as well as the handset vendors keen to tap this market.
$100 laptop program still eyes India
October 25, 2007, Associated Press (CNN.com International)
This article explores a possible turnaround in the Indian government's initial negative response to the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) programme, which India's education minister allegedly called "pedagogically suspect" for requiring children to take the machines home for maximum exploration. Despite India's refusal to participate, OLPC persisted in talks with government officials, businesses and NGOs and convinced them to launch a pilot test involving 22 rural schoolchildren in Maharashtra.
CSCs scheme in West Bengal
August 05, 2007, I4d Online
This is an interview with the Joint Secretary of West Bengal State Rural Development Agency. He talks about challenges and implementation plans, while highlighting that the village panchayat is in charge of implementing the Common Service Centres (CSC) scheme in the state and not the IT department. This is significant, since implementation of e-governance projects by the IT department is seen to be the primary reason of failure of these projects.
E-Halli centres to be launched in Karnataka
September 21, 2007, The Hindu
The state government of Karnataka has launched an e-governance initiative called E-Halli, for disseminating important information in rural areas. The E-Halli centres will be located in the village Panchayat premises and around 5628 centres in all will be established.
Human Resource Development ministry hopes to make $10 laptops a reality
May 4, 2007, Times of India
The Indian government is making efforts to develop a laptop which it hopes will cost $10 when it finally hits the market. The project is currently taking shape with two designs already in and a Public Sector Undertaking evincing interest to be a part of the project.
