STORIES OF CHANGE

Jamuna Devi (name changed), has never stepped out of the Chomamaliyan village in the Sultanpur Tehsil of Kota District in Rajasthan. Her medical reports however, reached all the way to Kota City to get second opinion from another doctor, ensuring relevant course of action for her ailment. Thanks to connectivity brought to the Community Health Centre of her villages, getting referred is just a click away.

Connectivity brought about by Express Wi-Fi by iConnectWe has transformed the day-to-day services of the Community Health Centre in the village. The patient records are now uploaded online and easily accessible due to high speed data services. The day-to-day efficiency has increased, with streamlined patient health records and lesser waiting time. About 40 minutes from Chomamaliyan, in the town of Kaithoon, the Health Centres have similar stories of change. Both, health professionals and patients, have gained immensely due to digitalization of health records and easy access to bigger hospitals and other doctors for further reference, if required.

The connectivity has benefited both Community Health Centres (CHC’s) and Public Health Centres (PHCs – which cater to 4-5 villages of the vicinity) in the intervention areas in Kota district.

Amjad is a known name in Gaonghera, a small town in the Kota district, especially amongst the youth. He is the owner of the coolest cyber cafe and gaming centre in all of Gaonghera.

Offering the latest games on the play-station at his shop, it is surprising that Amjad was oblivious to most things related to gaming till a few months back. Making ends meet by selling Mobile recharge vouchers, he did not dream big. This changed when he got access to high speed internet with Express-Wi-Fi by iConnectWe. The connectivity definitely nudged the inherent entrepreneur in him and he thought of creating a small gaming zone, as quality internet made it easier to stream games on play-station.

The staff at the Nari Shakti Kendra, a government owned social centre, working for rural women’s empowerment in the Kanwas village in Kota district in Rajasthan, haven’t seen change at a pace as they do now.

For years, the organization has devoted itself to drive livelihood projects, create women entrepreneurs and most importantly ensure their financial inclusion. But it is only now, that connectivity and internet services have completely transformed their day-to-day workings. Once struggling with maintaining records, the centre, which grants business and personal loan to women, is now completely digital. From form filling to submission to data entry and loan processing, everything is done via the internet, thanks to the high speed connectivity brought by iConnecWe.

The manager at the centre, Ms. Maya is happy to see the efficiency of work increase manifold at the centre which has 8 staff members and welcomes 100-200 women from the surrounding areas, every week for meetings.

Living in a village in Kota, Rajasthan, Mohan, 62, never thought he could forego long queues at government offices or banks to get his social security benefits. When he discovered how a few clicks can ease his life, he was beyond ecstatic.

This is the story of many others in his village who have explored the boon of internet connectivity to gain access to relevant information and all e-governance related services. Thanks to Express Wi-Fi, there is connectivity like never before and the villagers are exposed to endless possibilities. The Sarpanch of the village encourages internet usage for all bank and documentation work including uploading of any files for connecting to social security services and government schemes.

Connectivity via iConnectWe Express Wi-Fi has also given easy access to relevant and helpful information. Ram Kishore, 43, a farmer, shares that his earnings have never been better, thanks to the access to information via internet kiosks in the village. He now has easy access to new agricultural trends, best practices, weather information and competitive prices for his crops.

The villagers are now often seen hurdled in the choupals talking about the transformation the Wi-Fi hotspots have brought to their lives.

Residing in Kaithoon in Kota, Rajasthan, Iftikhar inherited the art of handloom from his family, which has been making sarees for over 100 years. From creating beautiful and unique designs to setting the colour of the fabric, Iftikhar loves it all.

Being the millennial generation taking forward the long legacy, he understood how important it was to not just improvise designs but also to reach out to a new age audience. To tap the huge online customer base, he initiated selling sarees online. But it turned out to be very difficult with slow internet. This was until installation of an Express Wi-Fi tower, which gave his business a new lease of life. “It has good speed and is affordable. The photos of sarees that took 2 hours to send, reach the customers in 1-2 seconds now,” Iftikhar beams as he shows the numerous saree pictures on his phone.

Express Wi-Fi has helped Iftikhar grow his business and increase his income, allowing him to provide more for his family. But more importantly, he says. “I can spend more time with my family, with transactions becoming faster and smoother.”

“I want all of Kaithoon to be connected,” he says with a big smile.