Pan-African e-Network

Pan-African e-Network project was conceived by our former President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to assist Africa in supporting tele-education, tele-medicine, e-commerce, e-governance, infotainment, resource-mapping and meterorological services. The project was approved by the Union Cabinet on 5th July, 2007 at a budgeted cost of Rs.543 Cr. This budget allocation encompassed the cost of supply. installation, testing and commissioning of hardware and software, end-to-end connectivity, satellite bandwidth, O&M support and providing tele-education and tele-medicine support to 53 African countries. Ministry of External Affairs is looking after the project and Telecommunications Consultants India Limited (TCIL) is implementing the project on India's side.

Another man who was instrumental in executing the project was our present President Mr. Pranab Mukherjee. He was then the External Affairs Minister. Under his initiative  the project had started.

This year during the Oct 2015 third Indo-African Summit is going to be held where the delegates from all the African Nations decided to show respect to Late Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam Azad, in an unique way by wearing wigs resembling the hair style of the former President, for conceiving such a grand project that had brought vast changes in the lives of African countries. Weighing the benefits of the project the African delegates would wish to extend the project for 5 more years from July 2016.

Some success stories

• A Senegalese boy, aged 14 years at the time of commissioning of the project, was diagnosed with a brain tumour. No airline took the chance to take him Europe for an operation. With the help of the tele-medicine support provided under e-Network the boy was successfully operated upon a hospital at Dakar, capital of Senegal, under the guidance of the specialists at Fortis, New Delhi, over video.
• Large number of African nationals operated upon at various super-speciality hospitals in India need not come any more to India for regular check up. On line check ups have made it possible and millions of dollars have been saved so far.
• Sechelles, the nation comprising of islands, is a welfare state. The country takes all the burden of a patient and one relative to accompany him or her. After the e-Network facility is installed 70% of the patients are now treated over tele-medicine, thus saving huge amount of dollars.
• "Mesh" network facility is provided by TCIL making possible a secure virtual meeting with the heads of different African nations within minutes of a conflict and resolves disputes. Thus African nations are saved from possibility of major violences those may have erupted.

Conclusion

Technology can come to real help of the people. It can encompass a whole nation or a whole continent. It is actually linking the whole world. This Pan-African initiative of e-Network is an example of that benevolent approach of a couple of statesmen from India like late Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Mr. Pranab Mukherjee after Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. Again the person who thought it big, as big as the second largest continent - Africa, was none the less Dr. Abul Pakir Jainul Abdin Kalam.

A humane policy for the Pensioners - A boon of Aadhar Project

First week of every month our elderly members have to present themselves before the pension disbursing authority that they are still alive in this world. They have to get the "Life Certificate" and then only their monthly pension will be disbursed.


The common picture is a long queue of our standing family members often for a couple of hours. We boast of our technological advancement, but could not save these infirm, ailing generation from physically presenting themselves before the pension disbursing offices like Post Office, Banks, etc. The whole life they had been standing in queues for getting various services, and their ordeals do not end with their retirements. This will be our fate too at the end of our work-life.
The present Modi government has launched an initiative, namely, JEEVAN PRAMAAN-DIGITAL LIFE CERTIFICATE on 10th Nov 2014.
Under this initiative there are more than 40,000 centers those will deliver a Digital Life Certificate just by checking the biometric proofs (like finger print and iris-scan) every year in the month of November. The advantages are as follows:

1. Now the pensioners will not have to present themselves before the bank or other pension disbursing offices. 
2. The debilitating elderly pensioners will not be required to to to centers physically. The center with their biometric scanners can come to them to give the life certificates. A PC fitted with iris scanner / finger print scanner will be sufficient to get this certificate. Mobile app is provided for smart phones from which also the life certificates can be obtained.
3. The pensioner may remain with their family any where in India. They need not come to their home town to get this certificate. From any center in India they can obtain this certificate.

This facility is again made possible by Aadhaar project. The project that was started by Dr. Manmohan Singh under the able leadership of Mr. Nandan Neelekani was long tried by various stake holders to derail and delay it from implementation. However, it is our fortune that new B.J.P. government under Mr. Modi could see the benefits of Aadhaar card and cleared all barriers to give a new lease of life to the initiative. 

Let us wait to see more beneficial uses of Aadhaar card in the near future. JAI HO TECHNOLOGY.
The site where Digital Signature Certificate can be registered. Jeevan Pramaan 

How to download EPF Passbook

Recently Employees' Provident Fund Organisation India is providing a long-awaited facility to the EPF Members - the download facility of their own EPF Passbook. Although they have provided a facility to check the balance through SMS, but it lacks the detail information. The passbook facility is providing a pdf file containing all necessary information regarding the EPF Account of that member:

1. Name of the member as it appears in the slip
2. Membership no.
3. Establishment ID & Name 
4. Member ID 
5. Date of joining (EPF & EPS)
6. Date of Birth
7. Transaction date, Updated on, Particulars, Deposits (Employee Share & Employer Share), Withdrawals (Employee Share & Employer Share), Diverted to pension fund

The above information are very vital when a member is changing his/her job and when required to submit the application with correct information. The steps of getting this passbook is as follows:
Step-1: First go to the EPF site. EPFO Passbook
Step-2: If you are new then for the first time you have to register. Click on the register button. Provide the information asked for. And click on the GETPIN button. A PIN number will be sent to the mobile number you have specified.
Step-3: Check the "I agree", provide the PIN from the SMS you have received in your mobile and press submit.
Step-4: You will get a button to download the passbook.pdf. Download it. Save it or Open it. And that's it!

Check BSNL Broadband Usage

For checking BSNL broadband, BSNL has provided four Selfcare Portals for different regions of India.

• East Region: http://selfcare.edc.bsnl.co.in
• West Region: http://selfcare.wdc.bsnl.co.in
• North Region: http://selfcare.ndc.bsnl.co.in
• South Region: http://selfcare.sdc.bsnl.co.in

(A) For the first time users

Step-1. Click the appropriate link depending on your region.
Step-2. Now register your account with BSNL portal. Click on the link  User Registration (for Existing BSNL Customers).

Step-3. The following screen will appear.

Fill in the following information in the textboxes provided in the dialog box.