DEF Engagements
Internet rights, accessibility, regulation and ethics workshop

We are holding a multi-stakeholder National Consultative Workshop on ‘Internet Rights, Accessibility, Regulation and Ethics' focusing on Internet "Access for All" and specific areas of concerns like right to information, internet governance, Internet regulation, cyber law and appropriate policy framework.

Venue: Scope Complex, New Delhi
Date: 3rd May 2012, Thursday
Contact person: Ritu Srivastava (ritu@defindia.net)
PUL-E-JAWAN INDIA FORUM invites citizen journalists

Pul-e-Jawan, a unique citizen media forum inviting youth perspectives for promoting peace in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan invites Citizen Journalists to Write, Publish and Speak about the "Freedom of Expression, New Media and Bridging Cultures in Diversity and Conflict."

Venue: India International Centre (Annexe), New Delhi
Date: 14th April 2012, Saturday
Contact person: Amarendra Srivastava (srivastava.amar@gmail.com)
Chairman's Column
The government’s approach towards universal Internet access is marred by dichotomy. While the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005, calls Internet one of the most effective means of communication and urges authorities to post more information online, some newly issued guidelines appear to be an attempt to gag freedom of online expression. Read more

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Quest for Innovations in April
mBillionth Awards South Asia 2012: Acknowledge innovations in mobile & telecom sector
mBillionth Awards South Asia 2012 invites Mobile Entrepreneurs, Application Developers, VAS providers, Innovators, Policy advocators in Telecom, Telecom players to join the platform to be a part of the journey of acknowledging Innovations in Mobile & Telecom Sector for the benefit of Masses. The Nomination date has been extended to 30th April 2012.

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Closing date for accepting applications extended to April 30th, 2012: Vodafone Mobiles for Good 2012
Vodafone India Foundation in association with Digital Empowerment Foundation invites nominations for the "Vodafone Mobiles for Good 2012". The 'Vodafone Mobiles for Good' programme honours and recognizes the innovation from Non Governmental Organisations/ Not-For-Profit Organisations for mobile based innovations targetted towards community empowerment and inclusive growth. This year 4 nominations will be collectively selected for a grant fund of INR 40, 00,000 to further develop and scale up their innovation to benefit the community. Send your application before April 30th, 2012.

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Recent Activities
Women’s Day celebration in Tura Center
Tura Internet Service Centre successfully celebrated the Women’s Day on the 8th of March 2012. The function hosted Ms. Agatha Sangma, Union State Minister for Rural Development as the Chief Guest. The function lasted for 1 and half hour and Ms. Sangma including 4 other distinguished scholars delivered lecture on “Women Empowerment: Challenges and Opportunities.” The event was attended by around 80 guests from different background and representatives from various newspapers and news channels.
Over 120 grassroot organisations marked their presence in the virtual world through 4 eNGO workshops
Four eNGO workshops were successfully conducted on 14th, 19th, 28th and 29th March in Shillong (Meghalaya), Nainital (Uttrakhand), Bhubaneswar (Odisha) and Phulbani, (Odisha). The workshop in Shillong was assisted by Regional Partner - Impulse NGO Network and was well received where 30 organisations participated and other 30 organisations registered for the .NGO TDL Campaign. With assistance from Regional Partner Central Himalayan Environment Association to conduct the workshop in Nainital, 47 organisations participated and 37 grassroot organisations registered for the .NGO TDL Campaign.

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Sms community and EduVarta project deployment and training in Tura
Tura Internet Service Centre hosted a 3 days program on 21st Feb. 2012 - 23rd Feb. 2012 with Mr. Ravi Ghate introducing SMS Community and EduVarta to the Tura community. Along with the TISC team, he visited educational institutes like P.A. Sangma Foundation College and Northeastern Hill University (NEHU) Tura Campus and delivered lectures on how the project can bring change in the unemployment scenario in the north east. Trainings were provided to ensure holistic approach and interaction with the participants and students.

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Wireless deployment in Barefoot College, Tilonia on 1st March - 4th March 2012
A four day marathon installation session of wireless networking was conducted by Digital Empowerment Foundation. The new Barefoot College building is now operating with seamless wireless internet. A team from DEF visited the site on 1st and worked through 4th March to complete the work. Thirteen more wireless stations are going to be installed to enrich the wireless presence in Tilonia (BFC) in coming months of this calendar.

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Shri Kapil Sibal launches ‘Open Government Platform’ developed by India and US
The Minister of Communications and Information Technology Shri Kapil Sibal launched India's Open Government Platform (OGPL) here today. Jointly developed by India and the US, OGPL is a software platform which aims to provide enhanced public access to government data and documents, and spur citizen engagement and interface with the Government. The OGPL combines and expands the best features of the India’s “India.gov.in” and the U.S. "Data.gov" sites.

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DEF’s contribution towards “India: The impact of internet” released by IAMAI & DIT
Digital Empowerment Foundation contributed 10 ground case studies for "India: The impact of internet", a book released by IAMAI (Internet and Mobile Association of India) and DIT (Dept. of Information & Technology.) Govt. of India. The book is a compilation of case studies and research throughout India with a focus on Internet and its impact on socio-economical front. Few of features case studies are AirJaldi, FINO, Chanderiyaan, Aaqua, HarVa XPO, BangaloreOne, etc.

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Meet the technology Innovators
Halda River: A natural fish spawning heritage of Bangladesh
Halda River Initiative was selected as a winner during Manthan Award South Asia 2011 in the e-Environment category. Mr. Md. Manzooorul Kibria has developed a website to spread awareness among the masses, researchers, government etc. to preserve the Halda River as a Natural fish spawning heritage.

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News That Matters Not
News That Matters Not was selected as a winner from the e-News & Media Category in Manthan Awards South Asia 2011. This web based project connects and provides a platform to make the voices of the youth heard in a very humorous manner yet publishing the fact about the politics, media, life and society at the same time.

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Sparsh
Sparsh, a project that educates teens and adults on sexual and reproductive health was felicitated as a winner in mBillionth Award South Asia 2011. The project has been developed by IL&FS Education and Technology Services Ltd and the program is divided into 12 modules for easy understanding.

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Health Phone
Health Phone, a project initiated by the Mother and Child Health and Education Trust is a basic health information embedded in a mobile phone and is not dependent on the network availability. It provides information on safe Motherhood and Newborn Health, Child Development and Early Learning, Breastfeeding, Nutrition and Growth etc. among the rural population. The project was considered as the “Most Promising” project during the mBillionth Awards 2011.

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News to know
India drops plans for government control of internet
India has dropped its plans to create a new United Nations body that would oversee the Internet, with the country's foremost Internet governance voice telling .Nxt it was "not well thought out". Read more
In India, there is a disconnect between the number of people spending time on the internet and where the media dollars are being spent: Richard Dunmall
Afaqs! caught up with Microsoft Advertising's Richard Dunmall and Neville Taraporewalla, who shared their thoughts on the opportunities for digital marketing in India. Read more
New telecom policy on Cabinet table in March
The final version of the new National Telecom Policy 2012, which will lay the roadmap for the development of the industry, will go for Cabinet approval by the month end, the Telecom Commission has said. Read more
A Crowded virtual bazaar
Flipkart, a nondescript e-commerce company launched in 2007 by two IIT-Delhi graduates, became a household name in India in 2011. The same year, hordes of vendors set up shop online, creating a buzz that couldn’t be ignored. Indian buyers were suddenly inundated with deals they could not resist. There were books, music, films, mobile phones, digital cameras, pen drives, LCD screens, watches, apparels, perfumes, shoes, accessories—all sold at attractive discounts. Read more
Ear to the ground
How a community radio station in a Haryana district tentatively carries on the conversation of change. Radio Mewat's programmes are, thus, centered around information. If Swasth Ki Baat involves around interviews with government medical officers, who tell listeners about ambulance services, vaccinations and medicines available in hospitals, Khel Khaliyan Ki Baat interviews agriculture experts on issues faced by farmers. Read more
True convergence will be when TVs are connected to IP world
If you've used the Internet, there is a very good chance that you have used US-based content delivery network Akamai Technologies Inc.’s services. Founded in 1998 by then Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) graduate student Daniel M. Lewin and MIT applied mathematics professor Tom Leighton, the company handles 25-30% of the world’s Internet traffic across 70 countries.Read more
Mobile phones becoming more popular than TV: Survey
Mobile phones have now become an integral part of our lives. We not only rely on the phones to communicate but for entertainment and information as well. With the advent of smart phones featuring increased screen sizes, access to Internet and a plethora of mobile apps, users are now spending more time on their mobile phones than the conventional sources of news and entertainment such as TV. Read more
Spectrum deadlock may be resolved soon
The deadlock involving the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), the ministries of defense and information and broadcasting and the department of space may be close to being broken after years of negotiations. Read more
MWC 2012: Where mobiles were reborn
If you blew the world to little bits with a big phone, then why not take that idea and put it in a Tablet. The Samsung Galaxy Note is now a 10-inch Tablet and borrows liberally from its smaller brother. Read more
A bit more talking, a little less texting
If you've suspected lately that your family's mobile-phone bill is driven entirely by your 15-year-old, you are probably right. A recent Nielsen report shows that children ages 13 to 17 average an astonishing 3,417 text messages a month — some 45% of all text messages. This breaks down to seven texts "every waking hour," or roughly one every 8 1/2 minutes.Read more
Contact Us
Digital Empowerment Foundation
House No. 44, 3rd Floor Kalu Sarai, (Near IIT Flyover) New Delhi – 110016
Tel: +91-11-26532786 / Fax: +91-11-26532787
info@defindia.net, www.defindia.net

 
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