Celebrating Our Freedom: 66th Independence Day
A sure shot way of realizing the value of being a citizen of a free country is to look at the everyday pathos of people still shackled by tyrannical governments, groups, and self-acclaimed do-gooders. Today, we celebrate India’s 66th Independence Day. With all the ups and downs, good and bad that has run its course through these years, no one can take away the pride of each Indian – we are free, we are independent (well, as much as one can be in the age of globalization).
The thread of freedom has obtained such a light and unobtrusive quality that most of us don’t realize what we have to thank our freedom fighters for. Our freedom is what allows us the right to dream, the right to innovate, the right to create, the right to market across boundaries, and the right to prosper and share good fortune. All Dronaites join hands today to wish each and every Indian, wherever they may be, the joy of independence. Happy Independence Day!
A landmark development that’s making headway in empowering people and supporting India’s economic growth is mobile technology. Today, we commemorate the works of some people who like Deltecs are leveraging the ubiquity of mobile phones to make our nation a better place.
- VNL’s WorldGSM™ telecom network infrastructure solution (based on solar energy) for remote locations, villages and small towns provides both voice and data (broadband).
- e-Choupal by ITC’s Agri Business Division, designed to tackle the challenges posed by the unique features of Indian agriculture, characterized by fragmented farms, weak infrastructure and the involvement of numerous intermediaries, among others.
- Rural Road Maintenance Monitoring System, designed and developed by Phoenix Software Solution for the proper monitoring of road maintenance status.
- Hello Sakhi, a unique collaboration between Kutch Mahila Vikash Sangathan (KMVS) and Kutch police department to address alienation, deprivation, distress and ideological divide of women masses.
- Mahila Shakti, a concept of HWA (Human Welfare Association) and the organization, promotes the women livelihood opportunity and participation in Panchayat governance including their confidence building and personality development.
- Project VIDIYAL deploys mobile technology to promote social entrepreneurship, enhanced livelihood, opportunities and empowerment of rural women and helps them develop a business proposal whereby each member gets credit for buying ten goats and one mobile phone.
There are thousands of faces and groups across our country doing good work silently. According to a Vodafone report, IVR, SMS and data-based services delivering content and services are used by 90% women to feel safe, connected, and a source of information and opportunity. There are 225 million female mobile phone subscribers in India in 2011, a 40% increase over the figure in 2009, and far more women have access to mobiles than to internet or landline phones.
This Independence Day, we reiterate our mission to facilitate mobile learning and education for empowerment, betterment, and progress. Jai Hind!
