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FSF-India volunteers at FOSS.IN
by kanti jadia 17 Nov '05

17 Nov '05

Hi All, We are all set to be at FOSS.IN <http://FOSS.IN>. There is not much planned at this time. 1. Stall with FSF-India brochures and posters 2. GNU/Hurd demo Everybody interested is welcome to join us. Anybody having links to FSF-India t-shirt ideas We are planning to put following a. Front - GNU head logo on breast b. Back - FSF-India logo , Weave your own code, www.gnu.org.in<http://www.gnu.org.in> Thanks and Regards Kanti

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[OFFTOPIC] WSIS special... APCNews
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 17 Nov '05

17 Nov '05

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- SPECIAL EDITION WORLD SUMMIT ON THE INFORMATION SOCIETY (WSIS) --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- *APCNews, the monthly newsletter of the Association for Progressive Communications (APC)* - November 2005 No. 58 - --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- ON THE ISSUES: INTERNET GOVERNANCE -- -- ON THE ISSUES: HUMAN RIGHTS IN TUNISIA -- -- ON THE ISSUES: FINANCING OF ICT4D -- -- APC AT WSIS -- -- WSIS BLOGS -- -- SNAPSHOTS FROM WSIS -- -- INTERESTING READING -- -- USEFUL SITES ON THE WSIS -- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- The second World Summit on the Information Society has started. Today, Wednesday November 2005, the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and Tunisian President Ben Ali opened the summit which has focussed primarily on the twin issues of financing of ICT for development in developing countries and internet governance since the first summit was held in Geneva in December 2003. A controversial host for an international 'information summit' given its well-documented suppression of freedom of expression including on the internet, the Tunisian authorities were openly criticised by Swiss President Samuel Schmid and civil society representative Shirin Ebadi for their repressive acts against local and international civil society prior to the summit opening. The Tunis Agenda and the Tunis Commitment -the two summit documents- were finalised on Tuesday after long negotiations. APC is producing two APCNews and APCNoticias specials direct from WSIS and for the first time, original content in French. Here's the first on Day One of the WSIS Summit. The next APCNews will appear on Day Three, the last day of the Summit. Keep informed about the WSIS with APC. We covering events on the ground from Tunis and logging it all on our blogs in English, French and Spanish. English blog: http://www.apc.org/english/wsis/blog Spanish blog: http://www.apc.org/english/wsis/blog French blog: http://www.apc.org/english/wsis/blog RSS feeds also available from each blog page. Detailed coverage in Spanish comes from APC's Latin America and Caribbean ICT Policy Monitor. Http://lac.derechos.apc.org/wsis All stories in this APCNews Special are from the APC WSIS blogs. --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- ON THE ISSUES: INTERNET GOVERNANCE -- The Tunis Commitment almost signed [By APCNews] APCNews writing from TUNIS, Tunisia, 16/11/2005 09:15 -- By 10 pm Tuesday, the chairperson, ambassador Khan, had concluded negotiations on chapter 3 on internet governance and received a standing ovation from all attending delegates. The outcome of the internet governance process is to have a forum that will take up broad public policy issues on the one hand, and a process of cooperation on the narrow principles that relate to domain name, numbers and the root zone file on the other. "This outcome has to be evaluated in terms of the balance of power in the community of nations," said Willie Currie, APC's Communications and Information Policy Programme Manager. "The U.S. clearly saw that its strategic interest with regard to the war on terror and its dominant role in the global economy meant that it had to retain its oversight over the primary form of communications in the world, which today is the internet," Currie added. http://www.apc.org/english/wsis/blog/index.shtml?x=2466414 Who will control the internet? Negotiations appear to be pointing towards a multi-stakeholder, multi-lateral forum [By APCNews] Heated discussions between governments meeting in Tunisia at the World Summit on the Information Society seem to reaching results which could change the face of how the internet is managed for the next several years. APCNews reports. http://www.apc.org/english/wsis/blog/index.shtml?x=2452593 APC... recommendations on internet governance [By APC] APC crystallizes a set of recommendations with regard to internet governance for the final Summit in Tunis in November 2005 including for an internet governance forum that has become reality in the Tunis declaration. Recommendations available in English, Spanish and French. http://www.apc.org/english/wsis/blog/index.shtml?x=2379688 IPS, WSIS and paedophile issues [By FN] From my RSS-feed, I just came across this story from one of my favourite news sources -- IPS filing from Bangkok -- that makes a case on why the information society must block paedophiles. http://www.apc.org/english/wsis/blog/index.shtml?x=2378624 Who gets the credit, and who controls? [By FN] Here's an articulate post by a journalist colleague from India -one of the few that makes sense of the issues at Tunis. It was written by Anand Parthasarathy of The Hindu, a prominent Indian newspaper, and reproduced via the One World South Asia network. BytesForAll mailing list, an APC member, reproduced it... and it raised a (brief but interesting) discussion. http://www.apc.org/english/wsis/blog/index.shtml?x=2447992 Crucial drafting session in Tunis [By APCNews] Late on Sunday night, November 13, 2005, an assembly of about 100 people agreed to a series of minimal points of common ground related to internet governance in Tunis. These points were then to be reported back to the general plenary of what is called the resumed PrepCom 3 meeting of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) for definitive negotiation and implementation. http://www.apc.org/english/wsis/blog/index.shtml?x=2418539 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- ON THE ISSUES: HUMAN RIGHTS IN TUNISIA -- NEWS ALERT: Censorship by the host of THE UN summit on information? People in Tunisia cannot access a number of websites because they are being blocked. And the Citizens' Summit on the Information Society has also been taken 'offline' for Tunisians. List of filtered websites: http://www.apc.org/english/wsis/blog/index.shtml?x=2436066 Flagrant violation of human rights at Tunis [By APCNews] Under the incredulous eyes of the participants at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), journalists and human rights defenders were manhandled, insulted, and then violently beaten. APCNews reports from Tunis. http://www.apc.org/english/wsis/blog/index.shtml?x=2431813 Many civil society activities cancelled [By Markus Beckedahl] Many international NGOs taking part in WSIS have collectively decided to cancel their activities planned for today at WSIS. This measure is intended to make government, private sector and civil society delegates aware of the human rights violations that have been adding up since the beginning of PrepCom3 resumed. It is also a clear showing of solidarity with all independent NGOs in Tunisia who seem to have to put up with police repression on a daily basis. Interview with Anriette Esterhuysen of the APC. In OGG format: http://www.netzpolitik.org/wp-upload/Interview_with_Anriette.ogg In MP3 format: http://www.netzpolitik.org/wp-upload/Interview_with_Anriette.mp3 Utsumi happy about security... despite attacks on journalists and UN staff [By Pavelan] The internet should be more democratic and more international, says the WSIS' chief organizer. More than 80% of the goals of WSIS have already been achieved, says ITU chief Yoshio Utsumi at his opening press conference for the summit's currently-underway second phase in Tunisia. He however skipped answering whether ITU has communicated concern to Tunisia's government regarding the safety of journalists and human rights' campaigners. Utsumi also announced that over 300 parallel events planned. Some 12,000 delegates are meanwhile in Tunis on the eve of the summit opening. http://www.apc.org/english/wsis/blog/index.shtml?x=2451281 Obstacles ...and whose security? [By Jac sm Kee] Took a cab to the Kram Palexbo, where the Summit and IT 4 All exhibition was happening[...] When we finally got to the site, we were stopped 5 times at security checks at every turn of the road and I had to flash my registration card and a big smile to calm the security that I was indeed, a legitimate subject to attend this conference, accredited (somehow) and all. http://www.apc.org/english/wsis/blog/index.shtml?x=2447599 Cause for concern: how free is free? [By FN] IFEX Action Alert Network, the International Freedom of eXpression Clearing House has come out with a statement quoting Article 19 to point to attacks on journalists and others at the WSIS by the authorities. This statement is being distributed on behalf of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Civil Society's Media Caucus. http://www.apc.org/english/wsis/blog/index.shtml?x=2446625 Online protest ... an alternative home [By Neila Charchour Hachicha] Since the official website of the Online Protest is censored as you can check for yourself here http://www.yezzi.org. I copied all pics from the protest on flickr cause I thought you might like to discover this online protest http://flickr.com/photos/yezzi/sets/1366354/. It is a virtual online protest to say "Yezzi...Fock" which means "Enough is Enough". They just cannot say we are disturbing the public order and protesting is a constitutional right. The Keyboard Revolution is doing its way so help us keep the internet free from censorship. http://www.apc.org/english/wsis/blog/index.shtml?x=2438705 In Tunis, internet governance rhymes with state control [By APCNews] Today, the website of the Citizens' Summit on the Information Society (CSIS) was effectively off-line for all web users in Tunisia. It appears that Tunisian authorities have started to intensify their crackdown on legitimate initiatives related to the World Summit on the information Society (WSIS). Blocking the access to the www.citizens-summit.org is the latest in a series of measures introduced to silence voices critical of the government and its human right record. http://www.apc.org/english/wsis/blog/index.shtml?x=2436066 Don't take pictures@WSIS-Tunis [By Shahzad BytesForAll, Pakistan] Maxigas -- a friend from Hungary -- and myself had the opportunity to go to the Tunis City Centre last afternoon, just to have a feel of the city and get to know a little more about Tunis. The atmosphere seemed quite festive, and preparations for the WSIS are in full swing. Green plants are being transported in numbers and transplanted on roadsides and important squares, large pictures of the Tunisian President are installed everywhere, and even most of the banners also carry his pictures welcoming the WSIS delegates ;) But questions remain.... http://www.apc.org/english/wsis/blog/index.shtml?x=2415647 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- ON THE ISSUES: FINANCING OF ICT4D -- Making the ride to cyberspace affordable [By APCNews] En route to the promised global village, the information superhighway is plagued by poor access and high fares that the bulk of this planet simply cannot afford. Reducing international internet costs is an important priority, underlined in a set of recommendations from the APC made to the WSIS stresses. http://www.apc.org/english/wsis/blog/index.shtml?x=2427753 Some figures... and hard facts [By FN] Some figures, and hard facts, from a Highway Africa article, titled ICT4 All expo to attract 40,000 participants: "According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the 942 million people living in the world's developed economies enjoy five times better access to fixed and mobile phone services, nine times better access to Internet services, and own 13 times more personal computers than the 85 per cent of the world's population living in low and lower-middle income countries. ITU also estimates that 800,000 villages still lack connection by telephone line, the internet or any other modern ICTs." http://www.apc.org/english/wsis/blog/index.shtml?x=2418346 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- APC AT WSIS -- Programme of APC events in Tunis: http://www.apc.org/english/wsis/apc_wsis_programme.pdf (pdf to download and print out) --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- WSIS BLOGS -- APC blogs are open to anyone in Tunis or around the world who wants to write or comment on the World Summit on the Information Society. Here are some highlights. WSIS II: A walking dead [By maxigas] Ladies and gentlemen, this is a pseudo-transcript of the proceedings of the Civil Society press conference held on November 15, 2005 (Tuesday) at 16:30. The second round of WSIS has not even started yet but hearing the pronouncements below one would think that it is already over! http://www.apc.org/english/wsis/blog/index.shtml?x=2452532 ICT for All? Really? [By Jac sm Kee] At the end of the day, Maxigas and I decided to take a walk and survey the images of women, men, elderly people, young people and disabled people at the ICT 4 All Exhibition hall. Afterall, the claim is that ICT is for all right? So who is this 'all' we are talking about. http://www.apc.org/english/wsis/blog/index.shtml?x=2447600 Hope remains forever... Tunis vignettes [Shahzad BytesForAll, Pakistan] Have just gotten out of the Global Knowledge Partnership or GKP's partnership building workshop at the El-Hana Hotel in Tunis City Centre. It indeed was a pleasant experience. Frankly, had no clue earlier that how GKP works and what kind of partnerships they have all around the world ... http://www.apc.org/english/wsis/blog/index.shtml?x=2439181 It's another world out there... [By FN] Inter-Press Service, the alternative news agency, has these stories related to the WSIS. Given its alternative perspective, it reminds us of some diverse perspectives which the first-to-break-the-news Western media often overlooks... or simply prefers not to highlight. One interesting piece is Media Enemies to Share UN Spotlight by Marty Logan. http://www.apc.org/english/wsis/blog/index.shtml?x=2436316 Groggy at Tunis... another view [By Jac sm Kee] The plane ride was as all plane rides become after awhile, uncomfortable and far too long. Once getting off, there were large posters everywhere advertising WSIS, especially about the IT 4 All exhibition, where the tagline -- complete with pictures of multi-gendered and 'raced' children smiling at a computer screen - promises to forefront the human dimension of information communications technologies development. I think I snorted audibly. http://www.apc.org/english/wsis/blog/index.shtml?x=2431649 Gender voices from Tunis [By Katerina Fialova] Here's some information about GenderIT.org coverage planned for the WSIS at Tunis in mid-November 2005. See details of what's expected via websites, blogs, RSS feeds and more, to keep cyberspace informed about what's emerging. http://www.apc.org/english/wsis/blog/index.shtml?x=2386770 Looking for environmental activists [By Milena B.] Just curious whether environmental sustainability and ICTs is taking place somewhere in the WSIS docs at all ;-) It will be good to know if apart from BlueLink, whether there are other NGOs interested to stand up for the issue of environmental sustainability in Tunis. http://www.apc.org/english/wsis/blog/index.shtml?x=2376151 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- SNAPSHOTS FROM WSIS -- [Thanks to maxigas of Hungary, you can read more snapshots on the APC WSIS blog and here http://www.apc.org/english/wsis/blog/index.shtml?x=2452532] Jeanette Hofmann (Member of the German Civil Society Coordination Group): The U.S. is not willing to talk about internet government oversight. Most likely the Summit will ask Kofi Annan the Secretary General of the U.N. to set up a Forum on internet governance and the U.S. is expected to participate. The Forum would take up a range of issues including Information Technology for Development and political oversight. Rikke Frank Jorgensen (Civil Society Human Rights Caucus): "Many have asked about the human rights situation. [...] 10-15 of us were to hold a coordination meeting at the Goethe Institute yesterday. The Tunisian civil society people were not allowed to enter, and were kept out by men in civilian clothes who introduced themselves as "security personel". I am not sure what kind of police it was. When myself and other members of the international civil society stayed outside in solidarity, we were forcefully removed. Then we walked around the city to find another place to peacefully gather - to exercise our right for peaceful assembly. Each time we were removed again, we were pushed, and some people were even tried to be taken into cars and taken away. In the end the German ambassador arrived and tried to enter these premises with his guests of his own choice but he was not allowed. After that each of us contacted our respective delegations, and asked for support from the governments to basically provide for a space where we can have this Citizens' Summit." Parmindeer Jeet Singh (Coordinator of the Civil Society Caucus for Follow-up and Implementation): "I am presenting the specific disappointment of the civil society. The Tunis round was presented as a "Summit of Solutions" by its organisers. We did not find any effective solutions to the problems that brought us here, of using the new communication opportunities for more adequate development in the developing countries. Countries of the North did not show the political will to getting forward with the policy of internet governance and did not establish any follow-up process. Financing ITC4D (Information Technology for Development), which is a very important issue, was not addressed at all and no commitments were made. At present the governments are trying to cover up the possibility of a complete failure of the implementation of the WSIS process." --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- INTERESTING READING -- Indepth: WSIS by Choike http://www.choike.org/nuevo_eng/informes/703.html RWB presents electronic dissidents at the WSIS http://committeetoprotectbloggers.blogspot.com/2005/02/rwb-presents-electro… Humanity will survive information deluge ?·Sir Arthur C Clarke http://southasia.oneworld.net/article/view/74591/1 Who owns and controls the information societies? FSF Europe 2003 http://www.germany.fsfeurope.org/projects/wsis/issues.de.html WSIS and Beyond : A dialogue between Soenke Zehle & Geert Lovink http://www.worldsummit2005.de/en/web/810.htm --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- USEFUL SITES ON THE WSIS -- The WSIS documents: Tunis Agenda:http://www.ngocongo.org/ngomeet/WSIS/TunisAgenda.htm Tunis Commitment: http://www.ngocongo.org/ngomeet/WSIS/TunisCommitment.htm Citizens' Summit on the Information Society http://citizens-summit.org This website has been blocked in Tunisia since Monday November 14, 2005. It is only accessible from WSIS Media Center but the rest of us around the world can still visit it. WSIS official site from the ITU http://www.itu.int/wsis/ United Nations Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships http://www.unmsp.org/ Summit Newsroom, Tunis Phase http://www.itu.int/wsis/tunis/newsroom/index_print.html IPS on WSIS – the progressive Global News Agency http://www.ipsnews.net/ WSIS Wire http://www.wsis-wire.net/ ITU's ICT success story home page http://www.itu.int/osg/spu/wsis-themes/ict_stories/index.phtml Unesco WSIS publication series http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=10592&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECT… Gender at Tunis: from GenderIT.org http://www.genderit.org/en/index.shtml?apc=f--e-- The World Summit on the Information Society Civil Society Meeting Point http://www.wsis-cs.org/ Germany-based site on WSIS (also in German) http://www.worldsummit2005.de/en/nav/14.htm Heinrich-Boll-Stiftung (German Greens Party-linked foundation) on WSIS. Some sections of the site in Spanish too. http://www.boell.de/en/04_thema/3800.html --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- APCNews, in English, and APCNoticias, in Spanish, are distributed monthly by APC -- a worldwide network supporting the use of internet and ICTs for social justice and sustainable development since 1990. APCNews Archive: http://www.apc.org/english/news/apcnews/ Some rights reserved: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial Licence 2.0 - 2005 Association for Progressive Communications (APC)

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C-O-D-E-X
by Arun M 16 Nov '05

16 Nov '05

http://c-o-d-e-x.info Codex is a network of people, organizations, websites and contents that share and make visible the idea of free knowledge. Whoever shares the idea that the society should be built for the benefit of human beings; that society should provide freedom and justice to every body; that in the new information and knowledge society every human being should be allowed to benefit the potential of digital networks can subscribe Codex reading the following text and sign it up. You can add to Codex every website that makes visible the potential of the free knowledge following this link. Codex Manifesto: We claim a free knowledge society We share a common codex: our human nature. We believe that human being is the central value for the building of a free, fair and sustainable society. We believe that human creativity flourishes in a free environment. Free digital networks empower human beings allowing them to express their creativity. On the path towards the information and knowledge society we claim for the right of every human being to fully benefit the potential of digital networks. Reference: http://fsfs.hipatia.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

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[OFFTOPIC] Waiting to fly... the Akshaya project in Kerala (South India)
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 15 Nov '05

15 Nov '05

This is one of the three stories winning a media award from GKP at Tunis. "For thoughtful and incisive reporting on the Information Society through analyses of social and political impacts and policy implications." http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/ew/2005/04/18/stories/2005041800030100.… Waiting to fly Vipin V. Nair Akshaya, the Kerala Government's project to make the common man log into a computer, can take to the skies if it learns from teething trouble. A status report from eWorld. THE overnight rain had soaked Nilambur and its teak woods. A drizzle in the morning brought a fresh layer of chill. Nilambur, famous for its teak plantations, was about to sneeze. But it was not the weather that dampened the spirit of Nazar. Sitting in a small room that he calls office, Nazar looked more a loser than an entrepreneur. His Akshaya centre is in financial trouble, he has run up losses, and the future is bleak, Nazar says. He is not comfortable talking about selling a computer at one-third its price to pay rent for the centre. On the other side of the district, Mujeeb has a different story to tell. His centre in Tirur has four staff to run the show. It provides e-payment, DTP services, Internet browsing and computer training. Why, he has even developed a billing software for local cable-television operators. In a nearby area, Noushad too has managed to take his Akshaya centre forward, offering similar services to the local population, many of whom saw a computer for the first time in their lives at the Akshaya centre. Two years after Kerala's Akshaya project was launched — and gained national and international attention for its pioneering vision — such divergent voices about its viability and future are heard from Malappuram, the district where it was piloted. What is happening to Kerala's most ambitious information technology project ever? Is there anything wrong? Concept The basic idea of Akshaya was to bridge the `digital divide' and thereby propel Kerala as `India's foremost knowledge society.' The Kerala State IT Mission, the nodal agency for the development of information technology in Kerala, conceived the project, envisaging a network of some 6,000 information centres across the State. These centres would impart basic computer skills to at least one member of the 65 lakh families, offer various e-services such as bill payment for utilities, bring information through the Internet to people, and most importantly, dispel the fear among ordinary citizens that the computer is beyond their reach. In the process, at least 50,000 people would find jobs, and Rs 500 crore would be invested in the State within three years. "The concept was to have an Akshaya centre within two km of every household, just like a ration shop," says M. Sivasankar, now Malappuram District Collector, and the man who spearheaded Akshaya. These centres, set up by local entrepreneurs, would start off by imparting computer skills to people under their coverage area. Over 15 hours of training, a person would acquire the basics of Windows, MS Office, Internet, etc, from the Akshaya centre. And for every such person trained, the centre would get a fee of Rs 120 from the State Government through the District, Block and Grama Panchayat. The first two institutions would chip in with Rs 20 each, while the Grama Panchayat would spend Rs 80 for a person. Every centre was supposed to train at least 1,000 people in three months, thereby ensuring an income of Rs 1.20 lakh. Subsequent to this e-literacy campaign, a host of services would be rolled out, including the second phase of the training. Malappuram, in northern Kerala, was selected as the test bed for the project. Initial days The Kerala Government launched the Akshaya project in November 2002. Entrepreneurs were selected by February 2003 and given training. Over the next few months, a number of Akshaya centres, sporting their blue logo, sprang up across Malappuram, one of the backward districts in terms of social and economic development in Kerala. Eventually, 634 Akshaya centres would be set up, it was planned.As per the project report of the Kerala IT Mission, each centre would entail an investment of Rs 3.83 lakh for its 10 computers and other paraphernalia, plus working capital. The Government ensured the Akshaya project priority funding from banks and term loans to cover half the project cost were arranged. The project went on steam in May 2003, and by February 2004, over 5.80 lakh people in Malappuram knew how to log on to a computer, open a file, save it, surf the Internet and send e-mail. The world took note of Malappuram. But this process was not as easy as doing a search on Google, many Akshaya entrepreneurs soon realised. Every centre was supposed to train a certain number of people (over 1,000 from each ward in their respective area) over three months. But sometimes, even a free meal is not enough of an attraction. Many people showed reluctance to turn up at the centres at a given time, putting aside whatever they were doing. "We had to then open sub-centres to take the classes close to them," says M.M. Sadique, President of the Akshaya Entrepreneurs Forum. This entailed additional spending. He alleges that there were many instances of unnecessary expenditure that entrepreneurs were forced to incur. Like the case of handbooks for learners at Rs 8 per copy. These books were to be sold at Rs 10 each but Sadique says the centres could not sell even 100 copies. "Each of us had spent Rs 8,000 or more for this handbook. We were promised that unsold books would be taken back, but we are yet to be refunded," he says. The delay in completing the training — it took nearly six months as against the proposed 100 days — was reflected in disbursement of funds as well. "It took about six months for us to get the money," one entrepreneur says. Government officials say no amount is now pending for the first phase of the e-literacy campaign. A part of the funds was remitted directly to those banks that had given loans to Akshaya centres. A total of Rs 7.58 crore have been disbursed for the campaign, officials say. Yet, many centres were closed down. "Forty seven centres were closed during the e-literacy project and 50 afterwards," says an official associated with Akshaya. Only around 450 centres are now functional in Malappuram, out of the planned 634, he admits. "But this was the first time such a project was ever tried anywhere in the world. In such a project, you usually don't get more than 30 per cent success rate," he argues in the same breath. Sivasankar says Akshaya was "slightly ahead of its time. Even in cities like Kochi, many services are not available over the Net," he points out. Nevertheless, he too agrees that there were problems. Another critical issue to be looked at is how many of those 5.80 lakh who learned their skills at the expense of public money can now actually use a PC, after two years. Apparently, many among them haven't used a PC again. Missing: Fire in the belly The selection of entrepreneurs was, perhaps, the first problem with Akshaya. "There were substantive miscalculations," Sivasankar says. All the 634 people who were chosen to run the centres, it was thought, would make it on the lines of a Sabeer Bhatia or Narayana Murthy. But many lacked the business acumen, the courage to take risks, and the ability to see difficulties through. The result: when plans didn't work, they tottered and waited for help, rather than finding innovative ways to solve issues. Since the project was a government baby, many thought there would be continued support from the administration. "The Government had made it clear in the MoU that there will not be any commitment after the e-literacy campaign," the Akshaya official says. Mujeeb, who runs the Tirur centre, says many unemployed youth jumped on to the Akshaya bandwagon, thinking the Government would support them throughout. "The element of risk was not anticipated and they expected grants all the time," he says. The political pressure that led to selection of some entrepreneurs only added to the problem, officials say. Promises fail Entrepreneurs say many of the revenue streams the Government promised for Akshaya after the e-literacy phase never saw the light of day. "We were told during our training period that there would be a number of avenues for business generation through the centre," says one participant. The project report, in fact, lists a host of such opportunities. The Akshaya centre, it says, would function as a direct link between the people, Government and private organisations. It can offer services such as data collection, training and education, Web-based consultancy services, printing and publishing, information sales and other general services. For instance, the centres can do data collection such as census (for government) and market data (for industry). Several other services such as computer training to more people, providing courses such as spoken English and personality development, e-learning, online exams, Web-based marriage consultancy, real estate, telemedicine, DTP, sales of government information and application forms, Internet browsing and what- have-you were up for grabs for enterprising folks. A model centre in a normal year can thus make Rs 5.43 lakhs, the report postulates. While those like Mujeeb and Noushad managed to provide some of these services, many others couldn't. The Government, from its side, did offer large-scale data entry work, but this ran into rough weather. One centre in a panchayat was selected by Information Kerala Mission to convert panchayat records into digital format. Sadique alleges that many centres are yet to receive their dues after completing the work. Akshaya officials also agree that there are problems with regard to this initiative. Efforts are now on to get the funds released. A health-kiosk concept was initiated, but it remained a concept only. It is not clear now as to how far it is possible for Akshaya centres to provide the kind of services envisioned in the project report. Whether every citizen would go to an Akshaya centre to pay his bills, buy his application forms/submit them and to deal with authorities remains to be seen. Besides, labour unions in utilities are grumbling, as they fear that Akshaya would render many employees jobless. Connectivity Meanwhile, Akshaya centres were networked with one another through wireless Internet. Through a global bidding, Delhi-based Tulip IT Services was chosen to roll out a wireless Internet network over the hilly terrain of Malappuram (which itself means `atop a hill'). Once the network was established, Akshaya centres would start providing e-payment facilities, besides offering Internet browsing, e-mail, and chat. Establishing such a network in a district like Malappuram proved to be a tough task. Entrepreneurs complain that there were connectivity problems in the early days. Each Akshaya centre was to pay Rs 8,000 for connectivity through four post-dated cheques of Rs 2,000 each. Of this, only one cheque has been cashed so far. The centres were also to pay a monthly charge of Rs 1,000 for unlimited connectivity. This amount has also not been levied as yet, despite the network being up and running. But the delay that occurred during the rollout affected the centres severely, says Sivasankar. "The centres could not graduate to the second phase," he says. Apparently, Tulip had underestimated the nature of Malappuram's terrain and hence the delay. But Tulip's Managing Director, Lt. Col. H.S. Bedi VSM, says Akshaya has been "one of the most successful of such projects to date." "The network has been in use for almost eight months as of now. The very high usage of the project is probably the best measure of its success," he argues. The centres agree Net connectivity has stabilised now and they are happy about its bandwidth (between 16 Kbps and 64 Kbps), notwithstanding occasional drops. Out of the 401 centres that are connected, 151 are now providing e-pay services. People can pay electricity and BSNL telephone bills through these centres by paying a fee of Rs 5 per bill. "In the past two-and-a-half months, 33,000 electricity bills of Rs 1.03 crore have been paid," officials claim. Here too, entrepreneurs say more streamlining needs to be done at the bank and utility offices to avoid glitches at the back-end. They would like the Government to provide spurs on these lines: a lower power tariff, waiver of interest on pending loans, status of small-scale industrial units, and channelling of more government services. What next? Even though over one-fourth of Akshaya centres have closed down, it may not be appropriate to term the project a failure. In fact, the very fact that 450 centres are functioning across Malappuram, braving the initial unforeseen hiccups, is a tribute to the project. But the State Government, now preparing to replicate the project in other districts, should not overlook the problems that these centres encountered. And offering a helping hand to those in trouble, rather than just washing its hands off, would send a positive message to potential Akshaya entrepreneurs in other parts of the State. vipin(a)thehindu.co.in Picture by G.P. Sampath Kumar

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Could this affect education?
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 14 Nov '05

14 Nov '05

http://www.thehindu.com/edu/2005/09/26/stories/2005092600150200.htm Microsoft award for teachers Microsoft Corporation India Private Limited has announced the second round of its "Innovative Teachers Leadership" awards 2005. Instituted last year, under its flagship India education programme "Project Shiksha," these awards seek to honour school teachers who innovatively use IT in their teaching techniques. The entries for the award are currently open to both Government and private school teachers and will close on September 30, 2005. The top five entrants will be selected by a panel of judges. They will then attend a three-day regional seminar in Seoul, South Korea. The winner, from the region will then attend the global seminar in the U.S.

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[OFFTOPIC]: APC blog on Tunis... http://www.apc.org/english/wsis/blog/index.shtml
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 14 Nov '05

14 Nov '05

>From the APC blog. Please add your voice here... There are also APC blogs in Spanish and French getting underway. FN http://www.apc.org/english/wsis/blog/index.shtml Making the ride to cyberspace less costly, bumpy By FN (Frederick Noronha) 14/11/2005 08:08 [Access, ICT policy, Communication rights, Content & language] En route to the promised global village, the information superhighway is plagued by poor access and high fares that the bulk of this planet simply cannot afford. Reducing international internet costs is an important priority, underlined in a set of recommendations from the APC made to the WSIS stresses.Read more... Crucial drafting session in Tunis on internet governance By APCNews 13/11/2005 20:40 [Internet governance] Late on Sunday night, November 13, 2005, an assembly of about 100 people agreed to a series of minimal points of common ground related to internet governance in Tunis. These points were then to be reported back to the general plenary of what is called the resumed PrepCom 3 meeting of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) for definitive negotiation and implementation. Read more... Some figures... and hard facts By FN (Frederick Noronha) 13/11/2005 20:24 [Communication rights] Some figures, and hard facts, from a Highway Africa article, titled ICT4 All expo to attract 40,000 participants: "According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the 942 million people living in the world's developed economies enjoy five times better access to fixed and mobile phone services, nine times better access to Internet services, and own 13 times more personal computers than the 85 per cent of the world's population living in low and lower-middle income countries. ITU also estimates that 800,000 villages still lack connection by telephone line, the Internet or any other modern ICT." Read more... Don't take pictures@WSIS-Tunis By Shahzad (BytesForAll, Pakistan) 13/11/2005 18:02 [Civil society participation, Communication rights] Maxigas -- a friend from Hungary -- and myself had the opportunity to go to the Tunis City Centre last afternoon, just to have a feel of the city and get to know a little more about Tunis. The atmosphere seemed quite festive, and preparations for the WSIS are in full swing. Green plants are being transported in numbers and transplanted on roadsides and important squares, large pictures of the Tunisian President are installed everywhere, and even most of the banners also carry his pictures welcoming the WSIS delegates ;) But questions remain.... Read more... Some voices... about Tunis By FN 13/11/2005 16:43 [Media & ICTs, WSIS implementation] How's the world comprehending Tunis? From disinterest to unheard voices, bewilderment, hidden agendas and nationalistic positions... all these seem to be the trends emerging from the media conference on November 2005's World Summit on the Information Society at Tunisia. More so, if one looks at the media from a Southern perspective. Read more... The WSIS is _not_ in Tunis By maxigas 13/11/2005 07:45 [Local ICT tactics, WSIS implementation] Yesterday me and Shahzad had a chance to see Tunis in all its WSIS splendour. Tunis as a city has been completely appropriated by the WSIS campaign. Public spaces where people lead their daily lives are heavily marked by a campaign about an event that they have no meaningful way to experience, and that will perhaps not bring any lasting good for their country. Read more... New book... via Tunis By Partha Pratim Sarker 12/11/2005 08:23 Word Matters Multicultural perspectives on information societies has been described as "a collective work by some 30 authors from civil societies all over the world, deciphers the central concepts of the 'information society'." Read more... Ultimate webmaster, citizens' voice By FN 12/11/2005 08:03 [Internet governance, Civil society participation] Might interest you: Inter-Press Service has this story U.S. Fights to Remain the Ultimate Webmaster which says that international efforts to break down the digital barriers facing the world's poor will backfire if governments fail to work out their differences on the issue of internet governance. Meanwhile, here's the website for the Citizens' Summit on the Information Society (CSIS). It was launched on November 10. Read more... Technorati links (2488 and growing) By FN 12/11/2005 07:40 Technorati.com, the search engine for blogs, throws up a total of 2,488 posts related to the WSIS among the 21 million sites and 1.7 billion links that it tracks. Read more... WSIS Panel on WIPO and IPRs (Nov 16) By Al Alegre 12/11/2005 07:19 [Intellectual property] Thought this -- IPJ at WSIS:A parallel event to be held at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Tunis -- would be of interest. Not sure if it conflicts with any events. Probably will :-). Read more... Gender voices from Tunis By Katerina Fialova 12/11/2005 05:20 [Civil society participation, Gender & ICTs] Here's some information about GenderIT.org coverage planned for the WSIS at Tunis in mid-November 2005. See details of what's expected via websites, blogs, RSS feeds and more, to keep cyberspace informed about what's emerging. Read more... APC ... reflecting the WSIS By FN 12/11/2005 04:24 [Civil society participation] Some of APC's plans for reflecting what's happening at Tunis include its English and Spanish websites and a blog in French These blogs aim to be a mix of indepth structured articles plus notes and comment from the APC team in Tunis, and anyone else who would like to write. It's open to the public to post items and comments, subject to posts being relevant to the theme. Read more... APC... on internet governance By APC 11/11/2005 18:05 [Internet governance] APC has participated extensively in the internet governance process at the World Summit on Information Society. Out of this participation and in collaboration with other partners, including members of the WSIS civil society internet governance caucus, APC has crystallized a set of recommendations with regard to internet governance ahead of the final Summit in Tunis in November 2005. Read more... Blog links By FN (Frederick Noronha) 11/11/2005 17:50 [Communication rights] Wikipedia's entry on the WSIS has this useful set of links to some other blogs on this theme. There's the WSISBlogs.org, a multilingual coalition of bloggers attending WSIS; includes text, photos, podcasts and video; apart from WSIS wire news on the summit; iwitness, offering debate, news and resources for "journalists creating a fairer information society" and The Daily Summit - WSIS and similar World Summit coverage by the British Council Science Team (with items dating back to 2003 and 2004, at the time of blogging). Read more... IPS, WSIS and paedophile issues By Frederick Noronha 11/11/2005 15:56 [Laws & regulation] From my RSS-feed, I just came across this story from one of my favourite news sources -- IPS filing from Bangkok -- that makes a case on why the information society must block paedophiles. Read more... Looking for environmental activists By Milena B. 11/11/2005 06:59 [Environment & ICTs] Just curious whether environmental sustainability and ICTs is taking place somewhere in the WSIS docs at all ;-) It will be good to know if apart from BlueLink, whether there are other NGOs interested to stand up for the issue of environmental sustainability in Tunis. Read more... Welcome to the APC WSIS blog By Karen Higgs• 08/11/2005 16:57 [Access] APC will be producing two APCNews/APCNoticias specials direct from WSIS and for the first time, original content in French. Watch our for our trilingual English-Spanish-French blogs! Read more... -- _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ _/ _/ Frederick Noronha | Independent Journalist | Ph 832.2409490 _/ Goa India | fred(a)bytesforall.org | http://fn.notlong.com _/ Mobile: 0 9822 122436 | http://fn-at-google.notlong.com _/ _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ EDUCATION INDIA: Relevant discussions from the world of education http://puggy.symonds.net/pipermail/education-india/ (See archives)

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OFFTOPIC: There are more Internet users in London than in the whole of Pakistan...
by Frederick Noronha (FN) 12 Nov '05

12 Nov '05

Just sharing these figuress downloaded from a Tunis 2005-related website... FN http://www.itu.int/wsis/tunis/newsroom/stats/index.html ASIA-PACIFIC The world’s most diverse region, Asia-Pacific’s 41 economies span 30% of the world’s land mass, encompass 3’500 languages, and are home to 57% of the world’s population (or 3.6 billion people). Nowhere is the digital divide more pronounced. Internet penetration ranges from below 1% in countries like Bangladesh, Cambodia and Lao, to above 65% in countries like Australia and the Republic of Korea. Mobile penetration ranges from below 1% in countries like Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal and Papua New Guinea to 90% or more in countries like Hong Kong (China) and Singapore. China remains the region’s powerhouse. During 2004, the country added an average 5.4 million new mobile subscribers every month. China already represents almost 50% of the entire Asian mobile market in terms of subscriber numbers, yet domestic penetration still hovers at around just 25%. That translates into another one billion more potential mobile customers. India has overtaken China to become one of the region’s fastest-growing mobile markets, with growth rates of over 90% per annum every year since 1999. With just total mobile penetration rates of just over 4%, potential for growth is enormous. The Republic of Korea leads the world in broadband penetration, with high-speed lines serving more than a quarter of the population. Did you know that . . . ? Figures can paint a striking picture of the ICT landscape around the world. ITU provides some interesting snapshots, drawn from its 2004 ICT World Telecommunication Indicators Database. Internet * In 2004, less than 3 out of every 100 Africans use the Internet, compared with an average of 1 out of every 2 inhabitants of the G8 countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the UK and the US). * There are roughly around the same total number of Internet users in the G8 countries as in the whole rest of the world combined: * 429 million Internet users in G8 * 444 million Internet users in non-G8 * The G8 countries are home to just 15% of the world’s population - but almost 50% of the world’s total Internet users. * It is estimated that top 20 countries in terms of Internet bandwidth are home to roughly 80% of all Internet users worldwide. * There are more than 8 times as many Internet users in the US than on the entire African continent. * There are more than three times as many Internet users in Japan as on the entire African continent. * There are more than twice as many Internet users in Germany than on the entire African continent. * The entire African continent - home to over 50 countries - has fewer Internet users than France alone. * There are more Internet users in Seoul (Republic of Korea), than all of sub-Saharan Africa, excluding South Africa. * There are more Internet users in London than in the whole of Pakistan. * Switzerland, host of the first World Summit on the Information Society, has five times the Internet penetration rate of Tunisia, host of the second Summit. * Discrepancies in international Internet bandwidth - the critical infrastructure that dictates the speed at which websites in other countries can be accessed - are nothing short of astounding. Tiny Denmark has more than twice the international Internet bandwidth that the whole of Latin American and the Caribbean combined. * The high cost of international bandwidth is often a major constraint, with developing countries often having to pay the full cost of a link to a hub in a developed country. More than 40 countries have less than 10Mbps of international Internet bandwidth, whereas in Belgium, a 9Mbps ADSL high-speed Internet package is available for just EUR 60 a month. * There are still 30 countries with an Internet penetration of less than 1% Mobile * The 14% of the world’s population that lives in the G8 countries accounts for 34% of the world’s total mobile users. Fixed * Of Africa’s 26 million fixed lines, over 75% are found in just 6 of the 55 African nations. * Africa has an average of 3 fixed lines per 100 people. * The Americas region has an average of 34 fixed lines per 100 people. * Europe and the CIS has an average of 40 fixed lines per 100 people.

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List of malayalam words
by balachandran c 12 Nov '05

12 Nov '05

Does anybody know where I can find a list of malayalam words? Is a compilation of words copyrightable? How about mathematical models derived from such compilations? If a freely usable list does not exist, can we approach some literary organization to help make one available? Such word lists and corpora are essential for developing models for software like OCR. While individuals can work on aspects related to algorithms, it is extremely difficult to build their own databases for such purposes. Thanks in advance, Bala.

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EFF india
by Thejesh GN 11 Nov '05

11 Nov '05

Hello All, I have created the group for discussion related to EFF in India. http://groups.google.com/group/efforgin Please join the list to continue the discussion. Please see the article below for more discussion http://www.techmag.biz/time_for_eff_india Previuous mails regarding this Lawrence view: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/commons-law/2004-April/001713.html Badri and Mahesh's view: http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/commons-law/2004-April/001715.html Let me know if you have any questions. And sorry for mailing multiple list. Its just that I don't want to miss anybody interested. To: Cibot Yes it was created for the same reason. Thanks, Thejesh GN www.techmag.biz <http://www.techmag.biz> On 11/11/05, Cibot <ciibin(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > I have been following up lot of posts to group about starting an EFF > like organization in india. And i couldnt find any action on that. > Is this the group created for that? > > Regards, > Cibot > >

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Announcing Small Research Grant Programme of SPACE
by Vimal Joseph 10 Nov '05

10 Nov '05

Society for Promotion of Alternative Computing and Employment (SPACE), Kerala, invites applications for its Small Research Grant programme to projects in the area of FLOSS (Free Libré and Open Source Software). SPACE invites developers/researchers/programmers (practitioners as well as students) to propose projects in the area of FLOSS (Free Libré and Open Source Software) applications. These projects can be software development or research initiatives, or associated tasks such as localization or documentation. Some of the priority areas under this programme are : - Local language computing - Solutions for Small and Medium Businesses - Education - E-Governance Some ideas for your thought: - OCR for Malayalam - Tools for School Education - Mini ERP for SMEs - Software for Microcredit for Self Help Groups We are looking for original ideas as well as contributions to existing Free Software projects. Please send your project proposal to research-grant(a)space-kerala.org or SPACE 109 Mangalam Lane, Sasthamangalam, Thiruvananthapuram 10 Kerala. a rough format of proposal available at http://space-kerala.org/index.php?module=ContentExpress&func=display&ceid=32 About SPACE ----------- SPACE, the Society for Promotion of Alternative Computing and Employment, is a registered society that has members from academia, IT industry, professional societies such as IEEE and Computer Society of India, and IT Administration of the Government of Kerala. The vision of SPACE is to promote Free, Libré and Open Source Software (FLOSS) in academics, governance and individual use, and supporting advocating the use FLOSS for employment generation in Kerala. contact(a)space-kerala.org www.space-kerala.org -- Vimal Joseph www.space-kerala.org Free Software, Free Society <http://fsfs.hipatia.net/wiki>

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