The concept of E-village has been discussed in email groups for a while. Recently, Pakistan’s first actual E-Village was launched, courtesy of various organizations and hard work by a few key passionate people. I guess this makes Mira Bagwal, a village located some 30 km from Islamabad, Pakistan’s first E-village.
In practice, this means that Mira Bagwal has been wired with 2 MB Broad Band internet connection and provided access to medical professionals. One hopes that such e-access to key development needs will come to more places, and in more ways, as we move along.
Here are the details, according to an email update from Chief Coordinator Pakistan Social Association (PSA) Amar Jaffery:
In an impressive ceremony in Mera Bagwal (30 KM away from Islamabad) all stake holders joined hands together under the umbralla of project ‘E-Village’ to work together for a common cause that use of ICTs for development.
The remote village of Capital City Mira Bagwal has been provided 2 MB Broad Band internet connection and its people have been given the facility of video conferencing to take advice from specialist doctors in case of any problem.
While USF has approved two MB broad band connection, Intel declared to provide twenty laptops and two desktop PCs, Cisco has decided to estabalish training lab in the villages. Two universities have come forward to extend support through their final year students to promote education in Villages. On-line libaries, tele-medecines and number of technolog based initiatives are in pipeline.
Babar Bahtti blogs at State of Telecom Industry in Pakistan, where this first appeared.
@junaid. Every long journey starts with a single step. I hope all this moves fast enough to other remote cities as well. It is about time we progress as this land is gold and we have skills, talent and everything to be a perfect country all united. Read this :
http://www.individualland.com/blog/?p=411 ( The disgrace we have to go through)
Not sure if its the height of connectivity. I would rather be happy if villagers could trade through internet. the way they do in India where post offices provide connectivity to commodity exchanges. nevertheless its something to be happy about. Engro has already done some good work in interior sindh and has provided infrastructure for connecting patients in Shikarpur and Sukkur to connect with doctors in JPMC in Karachi. There is nothing to be sarcastic about. No matter how small it may sound, and whether electricity being available all the time, it does contribute to wellness of patients who could not travel from Shikarpur to Karachi. Please see and support if you can!!
http://telemedicine-pk.com/
Some comments from the ATP Facebook Page:
– “Indeed a great news in times of hopelessness ………. salutes to these people who are devoted to the country and its people …….”
– “Mashallah..”
– “Great. Wish it to grow like a family tree in Pakistan.”
– “What does it mean? What an e-village really is?”
“Give the people a new word and they think they have a new fact” I think Willa Cather said this ‘precisely’ about Pakistanis. E-village..uuhh?? without electricity? without basic education? And I am doubtful if we are really on the same page. Are we talking about Pakistan?? video conferencing with doctors??
e-villages are a good idea. But this really reads more like a publicity thing. I bet there is an NGO behind this somewhere getting a lot of money from this.
Also, I agree, how is this village “remote”