The Andhra Pradesh government is considering a crowd-funding initiative to spur development in its newly chosen capital city of Amravati. The foundation for the town is expected to be laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 22.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu believes the project will bring a sense of ownership among the citizens who contribute towards any crowd-funding efforts. The scheme will reward them by having their name engraved on a digital brick. Since the initiative would be on a digital platform, people from across the world can contribute to it.
According to the Hindu Business Line, the Andhra Pradesh government is also going to install a Time Capsule at the Amravati Pavilion. The state was in the news recently for tying up with Microsoft to provide low-cost internet connectivity in rural areas. The pilot project, dubbed White Spaces, utilizes unused TV spectrum by assigning them for broadband networks.
The technology doesn’t affect the broadcasting of television. It uses the 200 – 300MHz band, so it could potentially have a reach of up to 10km. Such a large coverage could allow inexpensive data connectivity to reach remote areas easily. The scheme is being implemented for the first time in India, Microsoft having experimented with the concept in countries like Singapore and Ghana before.
Also See: Microsoft to provide low-cost internet in Andhra Pradesh via White Spaces project
The project will begin at the Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh, with ZP high school at Voppangi as its base station. Three other receivers at Singupuram, Fareedapeta and Sativada are located within 10km of it. As per a PTI report, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella hopes the White Spaces initiative will make accessing the internet a reality in over 500000 villages across India.