There cannot be a better environment than in today’s India to discuss, advocate and realize key entitlements to its billion-plus people. We already have rights to information and education and the right to food security is expected to follow soon. At a time like this, a desire to step fully into a knowledge society and…
Dear minister, You are in a unique position which, in some way or the other, is responsible for connecting almost the entire country through the information highway. You are working on how all the 245,500 panchayats could be connected through broadband in the next few years; being the minister for human resources development, you also…
In yet another successful venture of eNGO Program, Digital Empowerment Foundation with support from Public Interest Registry organized “eNGO Network of Pakistan” workshop in Karachi, Pakistan on 10th May 2012. The workshop was held in PILER (Pakistan Institute for Labour Education & Research) auditorium and hosted 23 delegates participating from 19 organisations in and around…
The World Summit Award, the global partner of Manthan Award and mBillionth Award hosted the 2011 function in Egypt form 26th to 29th April 2012 to felicitate and recognise the awardees from all over the world after a year long wait. As per plan, Ministry of Communication and IT, Republic of Egypt was supposed to…
The Pul‐e‐Jawan program kick‐started at Kabul in September 2011 when fifteen citizen Journalists, five each from from Afghanistan, India and Pakistan met, debated and collaborated to create a common ground to bring peace in this region. The Kabul forum has led to Pul‐e‐Jawan forums within India and Pakistan to encourage more citizens to express themselves…
Right to Internet for Right to information “Internet can be instrumental to curb the media sensation” Stated by socio-political activist Aruna Roy in the half-day national consultation on ‘Internet Rights, Accessibility, Regulation & Ethics’ on May 3, 2012 at New Delhi. The consultation programme was organized by the Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) and Association for…
An example of a ‘barefoot innovator’ is Raghav Mahto from Vaishali district in Bihar. Only a second grade pass, Mahto was inspired by a cordless microphone to create an FM radio transmitter with which he transmitted for fi ve years from his electronics repair shop, pioneering the concept of community radio with cheap broadcast equipment,…
In India the campaign to legitimise community radio began in the mid-1990s, soon after the Supreme Court of India ruled in its judgment of February 1995 that “airwaves are public property”. This inspired groups across the country; however, only educational (campus) radio stations were originally permitted (under a number of conditions). Anna FM was India’s first campus “community” radio…
