Anil Agarwal, Chairman, Vedanta Resources Plc Tweeted – ‘Path-breaking DigitalIndia vision of the Prime Minister to deliver education,healthcare &governance by fibreoptics connectivity will empower rural India’
IndiaCSR News Network
MUMBAI: On World Computer Literacy Day, Anil Agarwal, Chairman, Vedanta Group tweeted support for the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s Digital India project.
Digital India project is an ambitious initiative from the Modi govt. As part of the plan, the government has set a target of providing broadband connectivity to 2.5 lakh villages (according to the 2011 Census, India has about 6.41 lakh villages) and making as many schools Wi-Fi enabled by 2019. The project, with an overlay of Rs.1 lakh crore, will help people gain benefits from the latest information and communication technology. It also aims to ensure that all villages avail high- speed Internet at affordable rates.
The government’s plan to connect country’s village level governments through the National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) in a period of three years has significant potential to deliver rural empowerment by enabling access to several e-services such as education, healthcare, financial services, agriculture and e-governance. The 20-hour e-literacy training programmes to be conducted in conjunction with state governments, in local languages will also bridge the digital divide between the urban and rural India and prove conducive to awareness and uptake for rural users to get accustomed to electronic delivery of essential services.
The Vedanta group’s Sterlite Technologies Limited is pioneering Fibre-to-the-Home deployment in the country to enable high speed broadband connectivity. As the most integrated Optical Fiber Company in the world, Sterlite Technologies is developing several transmission infrastructure projects spanning over 5000 Circuit Kms, across India.
The foundation has undertaken the following programmes to improve computer literacy and to initiate sustainable livelihood opportunities. Recent statistics have indicated that in India which has a population of 1.2 billion, only 205 million know basic computer operations, which includes browsing the internet and communicating via emails. To improve this scenario, Vedanta Foundation, a philanthropic initiative of the company, is working towards improving computer literacy, especially in underprivileged and marginalized sections of society.
Computer training to over 1 million students
Computer training centres for under privileged students is an initiative of Vedanta Foundation that has imparted a new lease to the lives of millions of students. Over 250 Computer Training Centers by the Vedanta Foundation in association with local NGOs have imparted basic computer training to over 1 million students. Courses are chosen on the basis of the current market requirement, which assist students to gain employment and keep them updated with the latest technology.
Umeed- A unique computer literacy initiatives for jail inmates
The unique programme is empowering and counseling reformed Tihar Jail inmates to lead a dignified life within society. In 43 centers across India, Vedanta Foundation has trained more than 10,000 inmates. The computer education programme brings a ray of hope in the lives of prisoners of Tihar jail. This program began with one computer center at Tihar jail in Patna (Bihar) and today has spread across 42 jails in India.
