Friday, September 10, 2010

Govt.'s new take on IT literacy, computers on rent in rural areas

New Delhi: While we are on the topic of the $35 Sakshat laptop, the government will launch a new pilot scheme to spread IT literacy in the country. The government is planning to rent out computers to rural citizens on a per day basis, reports Harsimran Julka of The Economic Times.

The program will be launched by the Ministry of IT and Communications and plans are to install computers in five locations that will then be rented out to citizens.

A senior official at the ministry said, "The cost may vary from Rs. 15-20 per day. This model may remove the hindrance of affordability in buying computers. We are talking to various companies like Intel, HCL Infosystems and One Laptop Per Child Project." The cost of the whole program is expected to be around 45 lakh.

In the midst of empowering the rural Indians on IT, is the cause of literacy taking a backseat? What the government needs to focus is on making our literacy rate 100 percent. After all, if the people are not literate, how can they be computer literate?
 
Source: Silicon News Network

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