‘Connecting the unconnected’ has been the mantra for the promoters and the practitioners of the e-Governance game for a while now. The ‘look rural policy’ of the stakeholders has been given a green signal with the much awaited 3G and WiMAX policy of the Government of India. Does this mean – India will be swept by yet another ICT revolution? And this time at a much larger scale? The answer will be sought only in the due course of time. It is claimed that WiMAX promises to solve most of the problems of connecting India. The wireless technology is not only fast but also cost-effective providing maximum outreach in terms of both numbers as well as quality of services. Endowed with such qualities, it is expected that the technology will account for 27 million subscribers in the country by 2012.
Wireless technology comes in handy when we talk about the Common Service Centres (CSCs) and kiosks – the gateway for information to our rural counterparts. Laden with WiMAX technology, these information windows can serve rural India with services such as online payment of bills to browsing the Internet for crop information. Wireless technology is not only the need of a specific market. It is in great demand amongst the tech savvy urban Indian who needs an anytime anywhere access.
Taking a stock of the current happenings, one can not possibly sideline the devastating floods in India’s eastern state of Bihar with river Kosi ‘s mood swings leaving hundreds and thousands of people homeless and affected. Does it mean a total failure of the information and communication machinery?We have questioned ourselves, would ICT tools been able to make any difference in the lives of those living in the last mile or at least prepare the government system for such a catastrophe? egov magazine is bringing to you a special focus on Bihar floods and the need for developing ICT.
This issue of egov magazine is woven around the theme of WiMAX, it’s roll out in India, potential that the technology possess and the connectivity revolution that it pledges to bring in. Innovative technologies in e-Governance developed both nationally and internationally are worth a special focus in each of our issues. We have believed in the notion of knowledge for change and innovation, hence, we have introduced a new section– ‘Sign Off’ in this issue.
With the festival season knocking at our doors, hope you enjoy this issue of egov magazine.
