Published on : Monday, May 21, 2018
Of the six districts where the project will be introduced, four are along the international borders of India with China and Nepal.
The six districts are Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Pithoragarh, Bageshwar and Champavat. Barring Bageshwar and Rudraprayag, the rest are border districts.
“Under the project, the 128 trekking routes in those six hill districts will be provided the WI-FI facility whereas people in all nearby villages will get internet connections,” said Amit Sinha director, Information Technology Development Agency (ITDA).
He further emphasized that the twin online facilities will act in meeting several major objectives.
The efforts, he said, will assist in boosting the high end tourism in the scenic but not that much explored hilly areas, giving a fillip to the income of the local region.
“Besides, the internet connectivity to be provided to remote villages will open a number of self-employment opportunities like the online trading for the local youth,” Sinha said.
“The boost in the economy of the people in remote areas will help check forced migration from the hills, which would be the biggest advantage of that scheme,” he said in an interview to HT.
Also, the online facility will “double up” as a lifeline for the locals along with tourists and trekkers visiting the remote hilly areas during emergency situations like natural disasters.
“The mountain state owing to its geological volatility is vulnerable to natural calamities like earthquakes, flash floods and landslides,” Sinha said.
Tags: internet connectivity, Uttarakhand