Jaipur: Eighty-five km south of Alwar District headquarters, a dirt road leads to Karenda, an extremely backward village with a population of approximately 2,000 mostly Meo Muslims who profess Islam but also follow Hindu customs. 

Proper roads, potable water, power supply and sanitary lines – almost everything associated with civic amenities – are absent there, open defecation is the norm and the nearest bazaar is over 5 km away. The village is home to predominantly tillers and labourers who are penurious and illiterate. 

But Karenda ‘boasts’ a solar-powered Wi-Fi connection!

 A telecommunication enabler company in collaboration with B.S.N.L. has provided mobile and Wi-Fi services in the village and extended them to neighbouring Bahadri and Phalsa thus creating a cluster of digital villages. 

Karenda also has a digital classroom in a government school, which has six teachers for about 300 pupils. 

“Our academic institution lacks basic facilities, managing so many students is no easy task and the pupils evince no interest in technology. We are also new to automation and require appropriate training,” an educator averred. 

With Wi-Fi, it is believed that the residents would be able to receive information regarding welfare schemes. The network also enables a dva n c e m e n t o f e - e d u c a t i o n , e-governance and e-healthcare.