Minister of state for IT, Communications and Shipping, Mr. Milind Deora, today hosted a live session with the citizens of India on the Google+ Hangout. The theme of the session was ‘Future of IT and Communication in India’, and the questions for Mr. Deora were sourced via the internet - the very medium whose future was discussed during the hour long session.
Beamed live on the the Google India+ page, the hangout saw the minister replying to a volley of questions by the participants belonging to the various parts of the country and abroad. The hangout moderated by TV anchor Cyrus Broacha saw Mr. Deora sharing his perspectives on a wide range of topics: from tower radiation to content on the Internet, from rural poverty to electoral funding.
Seven individuals from across the globe participated in the hangout seeking the Minister’s views on various socio-political issues that concern them. Talking about bridging the ‘digital divide’, Mr. Deora said that as a country we have embraced the wireless telephony increasing the teledensity to 75% in the last decade. The Ministry is working towards bridging the digital divide between the urban and rural India by developing infrastructure to ensure that the rural areas of the country usher the data revolution.
Speaking about how the government has realised the importance of social media, the Minister stated that we are witnessing more and more Indian politicians embracing the platform for citizen engagement. The Electronics Service Delivery Bill which is currently in the parliament will help eliminate the various human interface layers making the government services more accessible to the Indians.
Responding to the concern over cell tower radiation, Mr. Deora said that the department will be issuing an advisory to all state governments to create a policy in line with the already existing regime to make sure that everyone adheres to the guidelines. Additionally, the Ministry is conducting an India centric study to decide the permissible limits.
In response to another question on the recently launched Central Monitoring System, the Minister said that said that no law is perfect and that laws need to evolve. The IT Act was put together keeping in mind global best practices.
Google+ Hangouts is fundamentally changing how elected officials and candidates interact with citizens. With a phone or webcam, people around the globe are now engaging with candidates and their elected officials in face-to-face video chats for free. Such endeavors are helping take democratic engagement to a new era.
Beamed live on the the Google India+ page, the hangout saw the minister replying to a volley of questions by the participants belonging to the various parts of the country and abroad. The hangout moderated by TV anchor Cyrus Broacha saw Mr. Deora sharing his perspectives on a wide range of topics: from tower radiation to content on the Internet, from rural poverty to electoral funding.
Seven individuals from across the globe participated in the hangout seeking the Minister’s views on various socio-political issues that concern them. Talking about bridging the ‘digital divide’, Mr. Deora said that as a country we have embraced the wireless telephony increasing the teledensity to 75% in the last decade. The Ministry is working towards bridging the digital divide between the urban and rural India by developing infrastructure to ensure that the rural areas of the country usher the data revolution.
Speaking about how the government has realised the importance of social media, the Minister stated that we are witnessing more and more Indian politicians embracing the platform for citizen engagement. The Electronics Service Delivery Bill which is currently in the parliament will help eliminate the various human interface layers making the government services more accessible to the Indians.
Responding to the concern over cell tower radiation, Mr. Deora said that the department will be issuing an advisory to all state governments to create a policy in line with the already existing regime to make sure that everyone adheres to the guidelines. Additionally, the Ministry is conducting an India centric study to decide the permissible limits.
In response to another question on the recently launched Central Monitoring System, the Minister said that said that no law is perfect and that laws need to evolve. The IT Act was put together keeping in mind global best practices.
Google+ Hangouts is fundamentally changing how elected officials and candidates interact with citizens. With a phone or webcam, people around the globe are now engaging with candidates and their elected officials in face-to-face video chats for free. Such endeavors are helping take democratic engagement to a new era.
