WiFi connectivity in Chanderi benefiting weavers

BHOPAL: As preparations start for digital India week from July 2, to popularize internet and communication, much ahead of times Chanderi of Madhya Pradesh is already a Wi-Fi city since 2009.
A project of digital empowerment foundation (DEF), an organization working for sustainable information communication technology to bridge gap of digital divide in under served and unreached regions, weavers of Chanderi have benefitted greatly by internet connectivity, which is also free for some institutions such as schools.Others pay nominal charges.
Wi-Fi router is placed at village Badera, a few kilometers from Chanderi, while its receiver is installed at Raja Rani Mahal, a 16 century fort built by Bundela rulers, in a city which has a population of about 35,000.
A town of historical importance of Ashok Nagar district, Chanderi is known for its hand-woven saris. The DEF project was introduced by Jyotiraditya Scindia when he was the Union minister of state for information and technology in UPA government.
The project was launched with a bandwidth of 2 Mbps and later its capacity was increased to 10 Mbps.
After Wi-Fi project was launched, a group of weavers were trained in Mumbai to learn computer-aided design (CAD), a software for design. Now with the help of internet, weavers can design saris within an hour or so when earlier they used to finish the same in at least two to three days, said Ankit Kumar, design head Chanderiyan, a social entrepreneurial initiative.
The digital tool has changed our lives, said Mohammad Furgan, a weaver. Another weaver Mohammad Farukh said, "Our designs are not only better, we are also more efficient".
Vivek Kant Bhargawa, a social worker and politician in Chanderi, said, "Internet literacy rate in this city has increased after the project was launched".
There are about 100 connections in Chanderi with free Wi-Fi connection for government schools and government hospitals.
Students have benefitted a lot from internet connectivity, said Umesh Purohit, project in charge, as a number of young women were trained and have started their own businesses by starting kiosks for railway bookings and making available government documents.