Tribals of Naxal-prone Abujhmad in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district now get 4G internet facility

Narayanpur (Chhattisgarh) [India], August 17 (ANI): Tribals of Naxal-prone Abujhmad in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district, who used to travel 3-4 kilometres to use the internet are now getting unfettered access to the web through the 4G network facility after towers were set up.

People in the heavily Naxal-affected area had to climb trees to get a network and be able to talk on the phone. However, the circumstances have changed in the Abujhmad region as today the internet is running at the speed of 4G in the area.

The children of the region are getting themselves upgraded with information about the country and the world from Google and YouTube through the 4G network.

Chandradhavaj Patra, principal of Vivekananda Vidya Mandir of Akabeda told ANI, "The arrival of the 4G network has made the situation good. Earlier we did not have internet and we had to go to the valley and talk. After the arrival of the 4G network, the situation has improved considerably."

"Earlier we could not teach the students by showing them videos on the internet but now, we can show them educational videos on YouTube," he added.

Rajkumar Netam, a local said, "Earlier it was quite difficult to use the internet. One could only access the internet by travelling two-three kilometres. Now we are able to download and see videos on WhatsApp."

Narayanpur Collector Rituraj Raghuvanshi said, "There was no internet connectivity in Ajubmarh, Sonpur and other areas so far. We've installed towers and are providing them with internet services. Very soon, the entire district will be connected through the internet."

Superintendent of Police Sadanand Kumar said, "There were network and internet issues from Narayanpur to Orchha. We've installed towers to start the internet services in these areas. This will help people in online studies and online transactions. We're planning to expand these services to other villages now."

"With the help of the internet, monetary transactions have become easy. 

Earlier, one had to travel 30-35 kilometres for that," he added.

"The police personnel who live in the areas were also deprived of these facilities. Now they are able to talk to their family members and send money to their families," he further added.

When we went there after the tower was installed in Akabeda and discussed the internet facilities with the villagers, there was an atmosphere of enthusiasm among the villagers and they were happy. The IG of police had also gone and the Collector sahib also went.

The children of the villagers said that now they can prepare for UPSC and PSC exams, as now they can take online coaching classes here, so there was happiness among the children. "The people of the region said that they see the change," he further stated.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Monday said the three-pronged strategy of “trust, development and security” played a crucial role in effectively checking Naxalism in the state.

In his Independence Day address to the state after hoisting the national flag at the Police Parade ground in Raipur, Baghel also said the ‘rural industrial park’ project will be launched this year on October 2, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, to strengthen the rural economy and improve the financial condition of poor families in villages.

In June this year, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel's instructed to provide irrigation facility to the farmers of Abujhmad region through Solar Irrigation Pumps are being implemented expeditiously by the district administration Narayanpur. Four machines were deployed to ensure continuous bore mining in the fields of farmers, who have received Masahati Khasra of this area. So far, the work of bore mining for installation of solar pumps has been completed in the fields of 20 farmers of this region and solar irrigation pumps are being installed here by CREDA. 

Notably, Baghel, during his visit to Abujhmad area under Bhent-Mulaqat programme, had directed the district administration Narayanpur to provide irrigation facility to the maximum number of farmers of this area through solar irrigation pumps.

“Three generations of the farmers in Abujhmad have been through the same pain and struggle, as there was no official record of the land in the region. Their agriculture practices were at the mercy of the weather. There was no irrigation facility available in the farms, as farmers had no irrigation pumps,” the Chief Minister’s office stated. 

“But now that the farmers have received the lease, solar pumps will soon be installed in their farms. On Chief Minister's instructions, the administration has expedited the work of digging borewells for irrigation in the fields of the farmers under Abujhmad survey. The farmers who have received the Abujhmad survey-Masahati Khasra by the state government are being linked with Saur Sujala Yojana. And now the farmers here will be able to earn good profit from farming by taking two crops and eliminating the dependence on the weather,” the statement reads. (ANI)