Free WiFi to all villages connected via Bharat Net till March 2020: Ravi Shankar Prasad
Rewari (Haryana), Dec 25: WiFi services being provided through BharatNet in villages across India will be free of charge till March 2020, Telecom and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Wednesday.
"We have already connected 1.3 lakh gram panchayats through BharatNet optical fibre network... Our target is to take this to 2.5 lakh gram panchayats. To promote utilisation of BharatNet services, we will provide WiFi free in all villages connected through BharatNet till March 2020," the minister said.
Currently, 48,000 villages connected under the BharatNet project have WiFi access.
The minister said all common service centres (CSCs) will offer banking services. As such, CSCs act as access points for delivery of digital services and the number of these centres has increased from about 60,000 in 2014 to 3.60 lakh currently. Haryana itself has 11,000 CSCs offering an array of 650 services.
CSC e-Governance Services India Ltd is implementing the Digital Village initiative in rural and remote areas of the country. Overall, one lakh villages are set to be transformed into digital villages.
Gurawara village in the Rewari district of Haryana has been developed as a digital village by CSC. The CSC unit there, operated by village level entrepreneur Sonu Bala, facilitates access to government-to-citizen services through the digital seva portal.
CSC e-Governance Services India Ltd CEO Dinesh Tyagi said, "The Digital Village scheme has the potential to truly transform the village economy and reduce the digital divide."
A DigiGaon or digital village was conceptualised as a connected village where citizens can avail various e-services of the central government, state governments and private players.
These villages are projected to be change agents, promoting rural entrepreneurship and building rural capacities and livelihoods through community participation and collective action.
The scheme focuses on empowering the entire village community by providing access to education, health or financial services through the digital medium.
In a digital village, residents are encouraged to become digitally literate. Residents can avail quality healthcare through tele-medicine consultations under allopathy, homeopathy and ayurvedic systems.
The digital village also promotes a financially inclusive society by providing banking, insurance and pension services at the doorstep of citizens. In addition, the entire village is WiFi enabled, so residents are digitally connected.
Such villages are also equipped with an LED assembly unit, a sanitary napkin unit, a paper bag-making unit and a rural BPO to promote employment among the youth.
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Trekking without nature guide won't be allowed; Karnataka forest minister releases SOP
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre on Friday said that trekking will no longer be permitted on any approved trekking routes under the forest department, without a certified nature guide equipped with GPS-enabled walkie-talkies.
Speaking after releasing the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) formulated for the safety of trekkers, he said that there will be one local nature guide for every 10 trekkers. A maximum of 150 trekkers will be allowed per batch on any trekking route.
According to him, online registration for trekking is mandatory. Even if a single individual registers for a particular day, a guide will still be provided, and trekking without a guide will not be allowed.
He said the SOP was introduced following recent incidents, including a woman from Kerala who went missing for three days in the forests during a trek at Tadiandamol hill in Kodagu, and a minor girl who went missing and was later found dead near Manikyadhara in Chikkamagaluru, which is outside forest jurisdiction.
In a statement, the Khandre's office said that nature guides will be mandatorily equipped with GPS-enabled walkie-talkies on all trekking routes. "Additionally, a mobile app containing trekking route maps will be installed on trekkers' phones. This will help locate trekkers if they lose their way", it said.
As per the SOP, before the trek begins, trekkers will be briefed about the distance, duration, and local conditions.
"Instructions on how to respond if wildlife is encountered will also be provided. Loud devices, sharp metal objects, weapons, and campfires are strictly prohibited on trekking routes," it said.
The SOP further stated that separate toilets for men and women and drinking water facilities will be provided at base camps.
Directional arrow markings will guide trekkers along the route, and rest points will be created along the way, it said.
Citing the SOP, the statement said that nature guides must ensure that no trekker moves ahead of them or is left behind. Headcounts must be conducted at base camps and rest points.
"Guides must communicate with the base camp via walkie-talkie every 30 minutes. If there is no communication within an hour of the trek starting, base camp staff will contact the guide to confirm safety," it said.
The SOP states that minors must carry a consent letter from their parents or guardians, and senior citizens must provide a fitness certificate confirming their physical capability to undertake trekking. To be able to respond to unexpected health issues, trekkers and guides must carry a first aid kit.
However, flash photography, single-use plastics, and carry bags are prohibited and trekkers must bring back their waste and dispose of it only at base camps, as per SOP.
It further said that all trekking routes under the forest department will be integrated into the official website (https://aranyavihaara.karnataka.gov.in/) to enable advance booking of tickets.
