Tribals of Naxal-prone Abujhmad in Chattisgarh's Narayapur district, who used to travel 3-4 kilometres to use the internet are now getting unfettered access to the web through the 4G network facility after towers were set up.
People in the heavily Naxal-affected area had to climb trees to get a network and be able to talk on the phone. However, the circumstances have changed in the Abujhmad region as today the internet is running at the speed of 4G in the area.
The children of the region are getting themselves upgraded with information about the country and the world from Google and YouTube through the 4G network.
Chandradhavaj Patra, principal of Vivekananda Vidya Mandir of Akaped told ANI, "The arrival of the 4G network has made the situation good. Earlier we did not have internet and we had to go to the valley and talk. After the arrival of the 4G network, the situation has improved considerably."
"Earlier we could not teach the students by showing them videos on the internet but now, we can show them educational videos on YouTube," he added.
Rajkumar Netam, a local said, "Earlier it was quite difficult to use the internet. One could only access the internet by travelling two-three kilometres. Now we are able to download and see videos on WhatsApp."
Narayanpur Collector Rituraj Raghuvanshi said, "There was no internet connectivity in Ajubmarh, Sonpur and other areas so far. We've installed towers and are providing them with internet services. Very soon, the entire district will be connected through the internet."
Superintendent of Police Sadanand Kumar said, "There were network and internet issues from Narayanpur to Orchha. We've installed towers to start the internet services in these areas. This will help people in online studies and online transactions. We're planning to expand these services to other villages now."
"With the help of the internet, monetary transactions have become easy. Earlier, one had to travel 30-35 kilometres for that," he added.
"The police personnel who live in the areas were also deprived of these facilities. Now they are able to talk to their family members and send money to their families," he further added.
When we went there after the tower was installed in Akabeda and discussed the internet facilities with the villagers, there was an atmosphere of enthusiasm among the villagers and they were happy. The IG of police had also gone and the Collector sahib also went.
The children of the villagers said that now they can prepare for UPSC and PSC exams, as now they can take online coaching classes here, so there was happiness among the children. "The people of the region said that they see the change," he further stated.
The development comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing the nation from the Red Fort on 76th Independence Day, said that India is stepping towards the phase of the 5G network and that the government is working towards providing high-speed internet services to every village of the country.
( With inputs from ANI )
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