Soon internet in Bihar villages
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PATNA: The dream of Bihar’s rural folks to surf the internet at their villages would soon become a reality. The government has initiated a plan to take information technology to the grassroots level by setting up common service centres called Vasudha.
Explaining the concept to DNA, deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi said Vasudhas would be started in e-kiosks to be setup by the ‘SREI Sahaj E-Village’. The e-kiosks will function as the delivery point for e-governance as well as e-learning centres, where the youth can access distant education modules and vocational skills other than normal internet access. In the first phase, it had been decided to open 5,540 Vasudhas across the state. The SREI had been already given a ‘letter of intent’ by the Bihar State Electronic Development Corporation, the nodal agency of Bihar government for implementation of e-governance. The state cabinet had also approved funds for development of the required software by the TATA Consultancy Services, Modi said. To begin with, eight departments of the government would be linked to Vasudha to provide information and services for mutual purposes like weather forecast, commodity rates, agricultural counselling, health and hygiene. Issuance of birth and death certificates and land records would also be available on the net on payment of nominal fees. More departments would be linked later. The Vasudha would be owned and operated by selected village entrepreneurs and will be monitored by the regional control centres and the central control centre. The estimated cost of setting up each of these e-kiosks will be Rs 1.20 lakh. The selected rural entrepreneur will have to invest this amount from his own resources or by obtaining loan from the banks. The Vasudhas in Bihar would not only create 5,500 entrepreneurs in the rural areas and provide internet access to the villagers but it would also bring a number of government services to the doorsteps of the rural folks, Modi said. Source: i4d |
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