A R Bhat
A project called “Smart Village” aims to give young people access to online educational resources, information on government programmes, and multimedia services. In 2015, the Prime Minister of India put forth a plan to upgrade a cluster of 300 villages into smart villages. The two Kashmiri villages of Kunan and Poshpora have now been included in one of the few Indian villages to receive the tag of “Smart Villages.” This was made possible by the Vajr Division in collaboration with Aseem Foundation, a Pune based NGO.
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The baseline for smart communities is always constant, whether it is a city or a village. It is how one uses the technology to better the lives of people.These networks are designed to host a range of services that a typical village resident might need, which includes education, health care, government schemes & policies and employment. These services are accessible on any smart phone or computer held with the residents or available at government computer centers and schools.
In Kunan and Poshpora, one such network has been established. All residents have access to the network through their personal computers and smart phones. Educational content segregated based on different classes, Multimedia services hosting different genres of songs and videos, announcements of various Government schemes and policies, new welfare schemes, and local events; are just a few of the services offered on this network. Educational content for students in classes VI to XI is provided in the form of videos that are tastefully designed for easy access and segregated content. Additionally, it gives residents the chance to promote their skills or businesses and find out relevant information about themselves and the community.
The Vajr Division and Aseem Foundation worked together to bring the project to fruition. A WiFi router mesh has been placed throughout the village to provide coverage for as many residents of both villages as possible. The backend connectivity is through a point to point antenna that has been mounted on a mobile tower to give it an extended range and coverage. A website hosting all the above services has been created and is being monitored and updated on continuous basis. The plan is to take inputs from the local users and upgrade the same accordingly.
The Vajr Division provided all technical and administrative support to install the routers and the server in the location. Aseem Foundation has provisioned the the equipment and has published the website where the entire content is uploaded. The core team for device configuration, siting, and installation at required locations consisted of one officer, two JCOs, and three other ranks.
During the inauguration, a student from Government High School Kunan stated that “It is similar to having a dream in which you are entering a community with free Wi-Fi. Once you access it, you are directed to a specific website that has loads of content for generally all the requirements of any personnel. By using the website, we can learn through animated videos while talking in cartoons in the infotainment module”.
Young students along with General Officer Commanding, Vajr Division launched the project. The General Officer stated, “the system can be very useful for the village’s youth, children, and administrative system. Smart village revolution project is the first to be launched in Kashmir valley, and it will prove fruitful for the population here”.
With the help of this unique project, the gap between the regular citizens and government portals. Local businesses and residents etc have been reduced to a great extent. Kunan and Poshpora have became the first Smart Villages of this type. The same calls for ongoing contributions from each of the above-mentioned agencies so that the system can be gradually updated to reflect the actual needs and practicality on the ground. The village’s youth, children, and administrative system can all make great use of it, and are welcomed to give their inputs for further customization of the same according to the actual needs on ground.
The residents of Kunan and Poshpora collectively expressed their gratitude to 41 Batallion of Rashtriya Rifles, Vajr Division and the Aseem Foundation for their vision and developing this hamlet. The residents are sanguine that the project will go a far way to uplift the standards of education and awareness of the residents of Kunan and Poshpora.
Last but not the least, this smart village is waking up to a new, smarter era in Kashmir – one that is brighter, advanced and ahead of time.
