Digital Empowerment Foundation :: NEWSLETTER JUNE 2013

Vol 2 Issue 6 | June 2013

QUEST OF THE MONTH

mBillionth Grand Jury 2013 : mBillionth Award South Asia Grand Jury was successfully held at Fort Unchagaon, Uttar Pradesh on 27th and 28th May 2013....Read More

mBillionth Award 2013 Edition

Registration now open for 2013
Digital Empowerment Foundation and Vodafone present the 4th mBillionthAward South Asia 2013. mBillionth is the leading platform to Explore, recognize & honor the best practices in Mobile & Telecom Industry across 8 South Asian countries. The registration process has already begun. For details visit www.mbillionth.in

Osama's Column in Mint

Move to mobile governance

Nomadic tribes need digital presence

Tribal development with digital inclusion

Journalists without identity

Follow him @ Facebook | Twitter

CSC WORKSHOP

CSCs: The Change Agents in Agriculture Service Delivery : New Delhi: On 3rd June, 2013, the CSC e-Governance Services India Limited (CSC SPV) organised a workshop on ‘CSCs: The Change Agents in Agriculture Service Delivery,’ to discuss and identify potential agricultural services to be delivered through the Common Services Centers (CSCs). Under the National e-Governance Plan, the Department of Electronics and Information Technology has setup more than.. Read more

Internet Governance Forum (IGF)

2013 Internet Society Ambassadors to the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) : The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is a multi-stakeholder forum for policy dialogue on issues of Internet governance. It brings together government, private sector, and civil society stakeholders, including the technical and academic community, on an equal basis and through an open and inclusive process. The IGF facilitates a common understanding of how to maximize Internet opportunities and address risks and challenges that arise. About the 2013 Read more

INDIA'S BEST DIGITAL FOOTPRINTS

meet the manthan winners

90.4 MHz Henvalvani Community Radio : ayasri Radio is an internet radio station which commenced operations on the 1st of July 2009. Jayasri is aired in Maviththara and Piliyandala, Sri Lanka and broadcasted to the entire world. It was able to advance itself to the number one position amongst other web radio stations broadcasting from Sri Lanka via the internet.The major success can be attributed to the fact that Jayasri Radio ... Read more

Amader Kishorgonj : Enajori.com is the first online monthly bilingual magazine from Assam, launched inMarch, 2010, which has asserted itself to one of the most popular websites of the regionwith monthly average hits of 1.5 lakh readers. The aim of the project is to showcaseAssam’s rich and diverse culture represented through its various ethnicities as well asdiversity in language and religion. The online portal delivers a full database of Assam.Through the world of internet,the online magazine covers topics. .. Read more

Recent activities

Experience a 10 days' journey through eyes of a 14-year old boy, Abner Manzar. Abner was a part of the ‘Red Rickshaw Revolution’ whose mission is to meet ordinary women doing extraordinary things.The team traveled from New Delhi to....Read more

One of the great powers of internet is that it empowers each one of us to speak, create, learn and share. Today, more than two billion people are online — about a third of the planet. The internet has become one of the engines of the 21st century economy,Read more

Project seeks to digitally empower NGOs : Pune: With the aim of providing digital visibility to different NGOs, Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) and Public Internet Registry have initiated a project specifically Read more

गांवों में मोबाइल गवर्नेस की जरूरत : तेईस साल की राखी पालीवाल राजस्थान के राजसमंद जिले में उपली-ओदेन पंचायत की उप-प्रमुख हैं। वह एकमात्र चुनी हुई महिला सदस्य हैं, जो बाइक चलाती हैं। सुबह चार बजे उठकर खुले में शौच के खिलाफ महिलाओं को सलाह देती हैं। दिन में लॉ स्कूल जाती हैं Read more

आदिवासियों तक पहुंचे डिजिटल शिक्षा : आदिवासी समुदायों की रक्षा के लिए असम में साल 1976 में कार्बी आंगलोंग जिले का गठन किया गया। यह असम व संभवत: उत्तर-पूर्व क्षेत्र में सबसे बड़ा जिला है। यहां कार्बी, बोडो, कुकी जैसी जनजातियां बसती हैं। यह जिला देश के 250 अत्यंत पिछड़े जिलों में भी गिना जाता है।...Read more

डिजिटल युग में पानी, तेरा रंग कैसा? 'चेहरे के उतरे हुए रंग जैसा' : एक बहुत ही पुराना फिल्मी गाना है- 'पानी रे पानी, तेरा रंग कैसा। जिसमें मिला दो लगे उस जैसा।' बचपन में कई बार सुना था। तब मैं नादान था, गाने का असल मतलब समझ नहीं पाया। अब पल्ले पड़ा है। हर आदमी की जिंदगी में अक्सर ऐसा होता है।जैसे –,...Read more

Odisha: CIRC launched, Govt. info with in a clicking distance soon in Bhadrak district : Odisha: CIRC launched, Govt. info with in a clicking distance soon in Bhadrak district In a partnership with DISHA and supported by Digital Empowerment Foundation, CIRC is ... Read more

सकारात्मकनीतिऔरसौरउर्जाहीविकासकीकुंजी : क्या कभी आपने सोचा है कि जो हम बार-बार विकास औऱ तकनीक की बात करते हैं, उसकी गति में रह रहकर ब्रेक क्यों लग जाता है? इसका एक मात्र कारण है विकास के लिए बुनियादी जरूरत में कमी का होना। और वो बुनियादी जरूरत है बिजली। कोई देश कैसे वैश्विक ताक़त,.. Read more

def's articles

Is mobile broadband a corporeal right? : The basic problem in impoverished countries is isolation. The villagers are so cut off from the rest of the world- internet is still unheard of in many locales- that the circulation of money only occurs in the village .... Read more

Sweden Driving for Human Rights Online : Internet freedom is one of the top priorities of Swedish foreign policy. Everyone should be free to think and say what they want – on the internet too. This is far from the reality in many countries. More than 90 countries are meeting in ... Read more

Reinventing Democracy : The defining characteristics of twenty-first century democracy are: Equal opportunity for political corruption; economic stagnation and the cult of the regulator in the marketplace; a paranoid ruling class cracking down on dissent; ... Read more

Unfit to Govern : The Uttar Pradesh real problem, however, is crime. This state is India's most violent, and accounts for around 24% of all violent crimes reported according to the National Crime Records Bureau, a department of the Union home ministry ... Read more

Healthcare Needs Healing : India has approximately two to three million people infected with Tuberculosis. This public health problem is the world's largest tuberculosis epidemic. India bears a disproportionately large burden of the world's tuberculosis rates... Read more

juror's column

The story of ATM : The ATM could almost completely replace the bank, the late twentieth century onwards, as broadband connectivity made banking a roundthe- clock activity.... Read more

'INDIA to lead mobile internet explosion' : India will soon be the World's second largest internet market in terms of users but has yet to find her feet in terms of an internet economy to match. However, green shoots are emerging and will continue to do so...Read more

OECD warns of widening income gap between rich and poor : A new OECD report shows the global economic and financial crisis has aggravated social inequality. The organization warns ... Read more

Post-2015: One development agenda for everyone : A "single, universal development agenda" built around "five transformational shifts" sits at the heart of the report handed over on May 30th... Read more

Smartphones will finally surpass feature phone shipments in 2013 : According to a new forecast from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker,.... Read more

The Global Information Technology Report 2013 : The role that information and communication technologies (ICTs) can play to support economic growth and the creation of highquality jobs has ..Read more

Facebook joins Internet freedom group : Facebook on Wednesday became a full member of the Global Network Initiative, a non-governmental organization promoting Internet freedom ... Read more

Google, Facebook and Microsoft seek data request transparency : Google, Facebook and Microsoft have asked the US government to allow them to disclose the security requests they receive for.... Read more

Turkey: A Social Media Chronology of Occupy Gezi : On April 10, 2013 a hashtag on the Turkish twittersphere proclaimed #ayagakalk (which translates to "stand up"). The call came from a small group of activists trying to preserve the standing park, Gezi Park,.. Read more

Is Alex Gibney's WikiLeaks film "state agitprop"? : Last week the author and longtime war correspondent Chris Hedges, a leading figure in left-wing journalism, published a movie review as his. .. Read more

China's Tianhe-2 retakes fastest supercomputer crown : A China-based supercomputer has leapfrogged rivals to be named the world's most powerful system. Tianhe-2, developed by... Read more

Social media abuzz with Modi's appointment as chief of BJP poll committee : New Delhi: Social media is abuzz with the news of anointment of Narendra Modi's as the chairman of election campaign committee of the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP).... Read more

WORLD SUMMIT INFORMATION SOCIETY 2013 : The project En Mi Idioma was awarded in the category C8: Diversity and Cultural Identity, Linguistic Diversity and Local Content. The award was ... Read more

Bytes for All receives Avon Global Communications Award for local Take Back the Tech! campaign : Bytes for All, Pakistan received one of five Avon Communications Awards on 7 March 2013 for their local campaign Take Back the Tech! ... Read more

Freedom of expression and hate speech continue to dominate internet rights discourse at UPR" : BOGOTA (Shawna Finnegan for APCNews) Between 22 April and 3 May 2013, the UN Human Rights Council held the 16th session of its... Read more

APCNews interviews Alex Comninos on developing a cybersecurity agenda for civil society : BOGOTA (Shawna Finnegan for APCNews) APC has released a new issue paper, .. Read more

Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) : CIPESA(Uganda) is undertaking a two year project, "OpenNet Africa," on promoting online freedoms in Africa. Supported by Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto it will monitor and promote internet freedoms in Ethiopia, Kenya, ... Read more

WSIS and Civil Society: Ten Years On : Renate Bloem of CIVICUS (The World Alliance for Citizen Participation) indicated that the multi-stakeholder approach has been foundational in WSISsince its institution. Inclusion of ... Read more

Red Rickshaw journey special

Meet RRR Inspiration

Sister Mariola : Sister Mariola is the only connect that inmates of Ajmer Jail have with the outside world. They wait patiently for her to visit them, because she is the only friend, guide and messenger that they have.Sister Mariola came to Ajmer in 1979... Read more

Kanku BaiKanku Bai grew up in a family of six, consisting of three boys and three girls in the Nichla Talab village in Kherwara, Rajasthan. As a young girl, Kanku faced gender discrimination where she and her sisters had to herd cattle and her brothers went to school. She also assisted as a mid-wife for deliveries in her village. Married at seventeen, Read more

Ritu Biyani : A dental surgeon by profession, Ritu Biyani has several feathers to her hat. The first Lady Officer Paratrooper from the Indian Army's dental corps, she served as Captain in the army for 10 years until she decided to become a full time mother for her daughter. Ritu's entire world changed the day she was diagnosed with high-risk breast cancer. Worried about her eight-year-old daughter's future, Ritu decided to keep her calm and resolved to fight the disease. At the age of 40, she braved two surgeries and 6 cycles of chemotherapy with the support of her family.Read more

RRR Inspiration of the month

RRR Journey through the lens

Intel creates $100M fund for more 'human-like' devices
Intel Capital, the chip giant's global investment and M&A arm, has created a US$100 million investment fund to accelerate the development of "human-like" sensing technology in devices across its architecture platform..Read more

Anonymous ‘Baba Jukwa’ Facebook Dishes Dirt on Zimbabwe Politics
A new Facebook phenomenon has Zimbabwe talking as elections approach. An anonymous character calling himself Baba Jukwa (BJ) has...Read more

Gmail for Android gets new design
The expected update to Gmail for Android is up on the Google Play Store. The updates are being rolled gradually to users across the world. The update brings a new design with slide-out navigation besides a totally refreshed inbox. ...Read more

ICT key to reforms in Sri Lanka: Finance Ministry
The 2012 Annual Report of the Ministry of Finance and Planning released on Friday has emphasised that Information Communication Technology (ICT) is the key to reforms in Sri Lanka particularly on service delivery and capacity developments.... Read more

Use of video apps on mobiles more popular in smaller towns: surveyRaghav Mahto repairs cars for a living. For entertainment, he depends on his Nokia phone that allows him to watch popular music videos and films on Youtube. Mahto lives in Mansoorpur village in the Vaishali district of Bihar which experiences power cuts for five hours a day.... Read more

UPA netas get a handle on Twitter
NEW DELHI: UPA at 9 may not have done very much but it has certainly tweeted a lot. In the last 200 days (since the last reshuffle) the government may have been challenged to find convincing explanations for the surge of new controversies but that has not stopped it from stepping.... Read more

Book Review | The New Digital Age
From the offices of Google, we get Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen's opus, The New Digital Age, which imagines a world they believe is but inevitable—a future completely dominated by technology.... Read more

3.4 million farmers subscribe to SMS weather services: Reddy
NEW DELHI, MAY 2: A total of 3.4 million farmers in the country subscribe to SMS services for getting weather updates under the Integrated Agromet Advisory Service.... Read more

Social media: five lessons for social entrepreneurs
Twitter and Facebook are valuable tools for social enterprises – but there are a number of pitfalls you should avoid ....Read more

No arrests for website comments without senior cops' nod: SC
The Supreme Court on Thursday directed all States to ensure compliance of Centre's guidelines mandating prior permission of a senior cop before the arrest of a person who allegedly posts.... Read more

India Post To Offer Beam Services In Uttarkhand Post Offices
India Post has partnered with Mobile payments platform, Beam Money to roll out its payment services in 29 post offices across Uttarkhand including Dehradun, Almora, Roorkee, Nainital, Rishikesh, among others..... Read more

Amy Sheng: Using Mobile Tech to Create a Digital First Aid Kit for the Home
The NextWomen Tech Theme. Amy Sheng is Co-Founder of CellScope , a venture-backed mobile health startup ... Read more

Mobile Apps for Blind and Visually Impaired People
A while back, we talked about the best computer software that can help blind and visually impaired people to operate a computer. But most of the information we regularly need can be accessed via our smartphones,... Read more

Atul Chitnis—champion of open source in India
"Ever since I got diagnosed with cancer in August 2012, I have been acutely aware of the fact that professionally, things were going to change dramatically for me…While I intend to beat this thing, I also need to consider that a lot of things will change for me—things that I can do,... Read more

Microsoft 'U-turn' sees Start button back on Windows 8
The lack of the facility - which had been in every previous version since Windows 95 - has been one of the most controversial aspects of the software. ...Read more

'Comprehensive Act needed for telecom'
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has asked a newly-formed committee to re-examine whether a single comprehensive Act was needed covering all the matters related to telecommunications, information technology and broadcasting....Read more

Your data, going on sale soon
Information being collected for the unique identification project will be sold back to the government through specially created, privatised, for profit utilities.... Read more

India's plan to monitor web raises concerns over privacy
The Indian government has been implementing a system to track and access calls, texts, and online activities. Mahima Kaul reports from Delhi that the Central Monitoring System (CMS) will be used by tax authorities and India's National Investigation Authority to fight terror-related crimes....Read more

Yahoo to buy Tumblr for $1.1bn
Yahoo has agreed a deal to buy New York-based blogging service Tumblr for $1.1bn (£723m; 857m euros) in cash..... Read more

An arresting Act
The pressing need to end the misuse of Section 66 A of the Information Technology Act has once again been underscored by the arrest of Jaya Vindhyala,... Read more

Govt puts the bill to give statutory powers to UIDAI on backburner
NEW DELHI: In a setback to the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) initiative, the government has put on the backburner a law to give statutory powers to the body that issues Aadhar numbers, .... Read more

Should 5G excite us? And where's the spectrum?
The news that Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd has successfully tested a so-called fifth-generation (5G) wireless technology, which will allow users to download an entire movie in just one second,....Read more

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