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.
Log on to http:/www.azmealishan.com register your AZM and make your pledge for a better Pakistan. Catch updates on http://twitter.com/azmealishan
On-line libaries, tele-medecines
And who is checking their e-grammar and e-spellings? They might kill the folks with wrong e-prescriptions.
But the real question is, will the villages also get e-water pumps and e-water?
And finally, will this initiative be supported in e-Urdu and e-local languages? We e-cannot e-have e-progress e-without e-it.
The e-cynics in us can only e-take so e-much e-bull e-manure!
But seriously, let give any good news a try, even if it is a good e-gimmick.
Where are the doctors who are going to actually sit in front of a camera to talk to these villagers ?? what a scam !!
the article seems to miss the IMPORTANT information that the residents of the e-village will be provided online “virtual medicine” where there was no medicine available before..
science ne bohat taraqqi ker li hai.. u can actually REPLACE a decent clinic or hospital with an e-crap now ..
Just wait till the villagers get their first iPhones.. those doctors will then be able to provide e-medicine easily through the e-Syringe connected via Bluetooth ..
I think these technologies can sometimes help leapfrog in development just like cell phones did
This is no doubt a very good step taken. Such efforts are needed for other remote villages also and I hope that would be done very soon !