We wrote to the Department of Telecommunications @DoT_India to highlight how lack of access to reliable and fast 4G internet is affecting the people of Odisha. #4GforAll
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The State of Odisha has long been failing to keep up with the national average when it comes to internet connectivity.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has aggravated structural disparities between rural and urban areas. It has had a critical impact on the education of children, especially the disadvantaged ones.
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Subhashish Mohanty reports that students in the Sambalpur district of Odisha climb a water tank 150 feet high to access the internet to participate in their online classes.
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Another report quoted the Odisha School and Mass Education Minister saying that “due to poor internet connectivity in the state many students have to walk miles, climb hills and trees to attend online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
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The BharatNet project, which is funded by the Universal Service Obligation Fund, aims to provide secure, reliable, affordable and high quality connectivity in rural India.
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However, while the project has lofty aims, it has not been able to live up to them. The project has been delayed consistently.
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Thus, our main recommendation to @DoT_India was that swift operationalisation of the BharatNet Project is necessary in bridging the digital divide which Odisha is currently suffering from.
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If you live in such a region that lacks mobile internet infrastructure and want to help us in mapping this digital divide, please fill out the form below.
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If you would like to support our work, we urge you to contribute to the ongoing fundraising campaign for obtaining secure and essential digital tools for our team. Donate and become an IFF member today! #4GforAll
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