villages in Unjha taluka of Mehsana district are now connected through
the Direct Video Assisted Redressal (DVAR)—that allows them to access
their record of rights or hold a video-conference with anyone in any
one of the taluka’s villages—under the ‘One Unjha Project’. This is the
first time in India that not just an airport, a coffee shop or an urban
centre, but an entire taluka is wirelessly connected.
This
means that a villager from Maktupura village does not have to make the
15-km journey to the mamlatdar’s office in Unjha anymore to obtain a
printout of details of owners, ownership rights, liabilities, land
revenues and collection. All he needs to do is to walk into the village
panchayat office, log onto DVAR, access his record of rights (ROR) and
walk out with the prints minutes later. Elsewhere, villagers have to
travel to the mamlatdar office and pay Rs 5 to get a copy of the ROR.
While the same fee is charged in Unjha, the villagers are spared
considerable travelling time and cost. The mamlatdar’s office is also
in the network’s loop.
“Presently,
video-conferencing relies on an optical fibre network which is high in
cost and is high-maintenance,” says MP Khatri, district information
officer of the National Informatics Centre (NIC). “The One Unjha
Project provides connectivity to 1,74,000 population of Unjha
absolutely free of cost.”
Although
already operational, the network between the villages and the
mamlatdar’s office will be officially inaugurated by Chief Minister
Modi on August 14. The network will soon expanded to the Circuit House
and the Collector’s office in Mehasana. Towers are being erected for
the purpose.
In
the existing network, the villagers can access government sites and the
APMC website. The villagers can get updates on commodity prices in real
time and APMC traders can bid for their produce without having to bring
it to the market.
“The
existing Wi-Fi network has a maximum reach of 4 kms. But it can be
upgraded to the Wi-Max network in the coming years, which will allow
connectivity up to 25 kms,” says Mehsana Collector Ajay Bhadoo.
Once
a firewall is in place, the villages would also have broadband internet
connectivity. “DVAR has enabled last-mile connectivity, which we had
been struggling to achieve in the past,” says Bhadoo. “Though the pilot
project is small-scale, internet connectivity can enable tele-medicine,
tele-agriculture and tele-education to reach the villages.”
DVAR
can also function as an automated video message collection centre for
the public and the administration. The webcam in the DVAR system allows
people to record their grievances which can be accessed by the
assistant collector and collector. The replies of the government
officials can also be recorded on the system and viewed by villagers at
any time.
The
One Unjha Project, entirely funded by the Agriculture Produce Market
Committee (APMC), was developed at a cost of Rs 20 lakh. The software
developer, Jasmine Network Solutions, is an Indian company based in
Silicon Valley.
“The
DVAR network can be expanded to truly empower rural India,” says NRI
Himmat Vansdadiya, who conceived and developed the software over a
period of seven years.
“The
system is completely customised to the needs of rural India. It is not
affected by atmospheric conditions, is low-cost, requires low
maintenance and minimal computer literacy.”
Source by cities.expressindia.com
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