e-Governance

Prime Minister’s initiative to boost up ICT in rural Sri Lanka
The launch of the e- Society Development Initiative (e-SDI) by the Information Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) under the patronage of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa will take Sri Lanka into a new era where all sections of the society would reap the benefits of the developments of ICT. The overall goal of the e-SDI, is to facilitate access to ICT amongst the most vulnerable groups in Sri Lanka, and ensure that the benefits of ICT development flow to these groups. By facilitating a more balanced access to information within Sri Lankan society it is envisioned the e-SDI will assist in closing the development divide between urban and rural areas, help to integrate post conflict regions and thereby contribute to the broader national objectives of development, growth and peace.

The key feature of the e-SDI will be the e-Society Fund through which two types of grant mechanisms will be operated over the next four years. The e-SDI Community Assistance programme is characterised by a ‘bottom up’ approach where vulnerable groups will first be made aware of ICT and the range of benefits, which ICT may bring to their lives and then provided technical assistance to identify their own priorities for development, which are acquiescent to an ICT solution. The ICTA has appointed a Process Consultant to manage the day to day activities of managing the fund. The Process Consultant would also work at grassroot level creating awareness and building capacities of communities for developing proposals for e-SDI assistance. All proposals will be reviewed by a careful chosen review panel and the final decision on the award will be made by a grants Board appointed by the ICTA. http://www.icta.lk

Mozambique government successfully implements e-Government pilot project
The government of Mozambique has successfully implemented an e-Government pilot project connecting 15 national public administration entities in Maputo. The initiative is funded through the Development Gateway Foundation’s e-Government Grants Programme, in partnership with the government of Italy.

It is named as a Called Government Elecronic Network (GovNet)-Pilot. The project is a part of Mozambique’s national ICT Policy Implementation Strategy, which aims to improve public services and increase transparency in the public sector. The Pilot has established a common communications platform for the Ministry of Public Administration, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Science and Technology, among others, giving them a unified e-mail system, intranet, and document management system. As part of the project, a new government web portal has also been launched at http://www.govnet.gov.mz, intended to increase public access to information.
http://allafrica.com

Video-conferencing facility launched to facilitate ‘Bhagidari’ project in India
The Delhi Government’s award-winning ‘Bhagidari’ project for partnership on 30 June, 2005 with the launch of a new video-conferencing facility to enhance interaction between the Resident Welfare Associations and the administration.

The Chief Minister of New Delhi, Sheila Dikshit was handed over the United Nation’s award given to the Bhagidari Cell of Delhi government. The Chief Minister has said that the facility has been set up in three districts — South, Southwest and West — and will be extended to the other districts in the next one-and-half months. She also said that about the UN award won by Delhi government from over 200 nominations from around the world, the credit for it goes to the citizens. The government planned to include residents’ groups of slums and unauthorised colonies in the project.
http://www.hindu.com

Education

Rural Limpopo gets wireless networked e-Learning Resource Centre
In South Africa, in one of the biggest ICT investments in Limpopo yet, Telkom’s Godfrey Ntoele, the Managing Executive for business and government markets launched the Telkom Foundation’s first Letsema Village at the Manyangana High School in Dixie Village recently. Ntoele, adopted five schools and each school received its own fully wireless networked e-Learning Resource Centre consisting of 20 computers, a server, a printer, all Microsoft supplied software, insurance and a three-year maintenance plan. The donation also included Internet access powered by Vsat satellite technology to bring the village schools in contact with the outside world.
http://www.itweb.co.za

NRI to create BPO jobs for girls in rural Punjab
In Punjab, India, thirty kilometres away in Manuali village at Fatehgarh Sahib district, a teacher has thought of including Internet chatting in the curriculum. He believes that it will help them improve their English.

Farmers to get market information via cellphone in South Africa In Makuleke region of Northern Limpopo province, the Senegalese mobile solutions company Manobi, together with Vodacom and Alcatel, has launched a project providing market information via cellphones to farmers. Daniel Annerose, Manobi founder and General Manager has commented that the first phase of the project gives around 100 farmers real-time market information and enables buyers to place orders with the farmers. Mthobi Tyamzashe, Vodacom Director of corporate communications has said that the Makuleke community is chosen for the pilot because of its remoteness and lack of access to information infrastructure. Thierry Albrand, Vice President of Alcatel’s Digital Bridge has remarked that the project is in line with the Department of Communications’ e-Strategy Framework and will open up the possibilities for government and local authorities to provide e-Health, e-Learning and e-Government facilities. In the second phase of the project, another 100 cellphones and subscriber identity module (SIM) cards will be distributed to farmers in Makuleke and surrounding areas. Annerose has said that Manobi plans to roll-out similar projects across South Africa and the rest of Africa. http://www.itweb.co.za

At Non Resident Indians (NRI) billionaire Nanak Kohli’s initiative, at least 10 villages in Punjab are trying to make girls net-savvy and fluent in English to help them land Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) jobs. Retired Colonel Govinder Singh explains that he wanted to start a project for the best of the best, but then the writer Khushwant Singh advised him to concentrate on the poorest of the poor. As a result, the Sundar Amar Sheel Trust, which caters to 2,000 children in Delhi set up computer centres for girls in rural Punjab. Colonel Singh, who is the part of the trust and urges girls to write their own letters, has said that right now the girls are under training, but next month they will undergo a test to check their competence. At Mahadian village, also in Fatehgarh Sahib district, 75 girls are learning English and brushing up their IT skills. Some are still in high school while others are graduates. The girls hope to land a job in their village itself.
http://www.indianexpress.com