No More Climbing On Trees, Travelling For Network! Tribals Of Chhattisgarh To Finally Get 4G Internet

Abujmarh is a hilly forest land of Chattisgarh which houses several indigenous tribes, including Gond, Muria, Abuj Maria, and Halbaas. It covers the districts of Narayanpur, Dantewada, and Bijapur, which was the second-least literate district in India until 2011.

These districts were cut off from connectivity for a long time and in a landmark decision, would now be equipped with 4G Network. With this decision to make network connectivity accessible to the tribal community, it would create a major impact on the conduct of education and the livelihood of the tribals.

Unfettered Access To Network Connectivity

Introducing towers that enable 4G connectivity in the forest regions would positively influence the developmental trajectory of the tribal villages that have always been cut off from mainstream opportunities. Especially since the village has allegedly been the hub of the Naxalite-Maoist insurgency, there have been many preconceived notions that have held them back.

With this introduction, people would no longer have to walk miles or climb trees to access the web on their devices. Children, in particular would be immensely benefited as they would now be exposed to various educational and informative content from Google and other social media platforms. Supporting this statement, the Financial Express reported that the principal of a school in Akaped found the situation in the schools to have improved with better network connectivity.

The information is being passed down to students in a much better format through the incorporation of smart tech that can be accessed with the 4G network. Many of the children are now preparing for government exams via online coaching classes.

He also mentioned that many people had to travel to the valley in order to get the range to communicate with people on the call. Locals from the region also used to raise concerns on how it was challenging to use the internet earlier, with people travelling kilometres over kilometres to go online.

Collector of Narayanpur district, Rituraj Raghuvanshi, said that the officials have started providing internet connectivity to various areas, including Sonpur, Ajubmarh, and others, and assured that the entire district would be connected to the internet within a couple of months. Elaborating on the same, the superintendent of police of Chhattisgarh, Sadanand Kumar, said that multiple towers are being erected to deal with the internet and network issues in the region.

The development of internet connectivity became an active plan after the Prime Minister's Independence Day announcement of transforming the digital connectivity of the country and enabling high-speed internet to every village in the country.

Also Read: PESA Rules: Chhattisgarh Tribal Communities To Gain More Autonomy Through 50% Representation In Gram Sabhas