Brain Stormer: Digital India: One Step Ahead

The Union Government’s decision to unveil mobile network to around 56,000 villages in border areas has taken the ‘Digital India’ programme to a new height. The scheme will be funded by the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) which was constituted to support connectivity in the rural and inaccessible areas.

The money for this fund comes from ‘Universal Access Levy’ earned from the telecom operators as a percentage of various license fees being paid by them. Interestingly, the villages are divided into Himalayan regions such as Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. The second set of villages are from those which are bordering with foreign countries. Even the USOF is gearing up to connect remote areas of ten identified states badly affected by the Leftwing extremism and it is on the verge of completion.

The USOF scheme will bring connectivity to the most backward regions of the country. Around the same time, Modi Government is planning to execute the ‘Bharat Net’ programme under which all Indian houses will be connected by 2017. Bringing the Indian villages to the mainstream through mobile network will help the youth discover the world for sure. In an age of globalization, when we talk about global village, we must ensure communication to the rural and disadvantaged sections of our society.

Alongside this communication network, the two other things need to be approached at the earliest: the road and the health system. Most of the rural areas are not accessible to motorable roads and this seriously hampers the lives of people in cases of emergency situations. India at 70, must see that while connecting the villages through digital network, the Government must provide road and health facility to these people. India, to emerge as a global power must work back home while venturing abroad at the same time. Lifting poverty will only be successful only when our villages are connected. Modi Government will hopefully show the road to the villagers who have been deprived of connectivity for the last half a century!