[icernet] Villagers learn how to get wired up and fight babudom

[Arul Selvan MIC]

A programme 'One Village One Computer' has been launched in 95 project-
affected villages in the area to bridge the digital divide. Asmita S.J. 
a computer technologist and activist explained the aim was to empower 
the villagers and not just provide them connectivity. Asmita, who has 
studied various community computer projects in various states and 
countries added that while in the Warna sugar belt villages have been 
provided with computers it has been largely to facilitate the growth of 
the sugar industry and not to empower the villagers themselves. Krishna 
Khopkar, a veteran leader of the Kisan Sabha an organisation which 
fights for agricultural workers and has pioneers the computer network 
project, said the response to their traning camps has been 
enthusiastic. The training has helped to create several youth cadres 
equipped with the necessary IT tools and community leadership skills. 
This has created a great deal of human knowledge capital at the local 
level.

Source:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/comp/articleshow?
artid=27293948