Full coverage: Asia and the Pacific

30.09.2005 Indian technology students start Rural Information Kiosk in the north Indian village of Rajasthan which will assist villagers in accessing knowledge from the Internet. A student of Birla Institute of Technology (BITS) Rakesh Anugula tells more about the initiative.

30.09.2005 New Delhi-based NGO Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) is holding a training programme on library, information management and documentation from Octoer 25 - 28 in New Delhi.

30.09.2005 The STS (Science, Technology and Society) Forum held in Kyoto during September 11-13 deliberated on many societal issues that could be addressed by science and technology. While no earth-shaking declarations were made, the conference brought together outstanding global talent across diverse disciplines, who identified six key issues.These key isuues were sustainability, life sciences,ICT, capacity building, science and technology for human security and finally on the new frontiers opened to science and technology.

30.09.2005 A Village Knowledge Centre by name, Vivekanand Gramin Gyan Kendra was opened at the Dhandhar village near Pilani on Sunday 25th September 2005.

30.09.2005 At the inauguration of the South Australian Film Festival at Chennai,South Australia Premier Mike Rann said the two States were working on forging a memorandum of understanding in various areas.

30.09.2005 In five years, every man and woman in the country will be in a position to access hi-tech healthcare with dignity, said Narayana Hrudayalaya Chairman and Managing Director Devi Prasad Shetty, accepting the Lifetime Achievement-Management Excellence Award conferred on him by the Bangalore Management Association.

29.09.2005 Most ICT initiatives till date have been in the form of pilot projects that have worked well in a small community. To upscale this to the national level would need not only excellent planning, but also support from a wide range of players. OneWorld South Asia organized a Panel Discussion "From Pilot Syndrome to Up scaling ICT initiatives - the Grassroots Perspective" at PrepCom 3 on 28th September in this context. Reports Bidisha Pillai, Digital Opportunity Channel Manager, from Geneva.

29.09.2005 Banglalink, a cell phone operator in the country, has introduced voice message service styled i'bubble that will enable all Banglalink subscribers to send a message as voice instead of text to all local mobile operators.

29.09.2005 The University Grants Commission (UGC) likely to release a draft of the Right to Information policy guideline for universities to follow as part of the implementation of the recently enacted Right to Information Act, 2005

29.09.2005 This APDIP e-Note illustrates the benefits that ICTs can have for SMEs; discusses why countries should be proactive in embedding ICTs into SME policy; and gives examples of how Asian governments have encouraged and enabled SMEs to use ICTs.APDIP e-Notes are brief snapshots that present analyses of specific issues related to ICTs for sustainable human development in the Asia-Pacific region. This online series introduces readers to the who, what, where, why and how of a wide range of current issues related to ICTs such as Internet governance, ICTs and poverty alleviation, e-governance, free and open source software, and many others.

29.09.2005 At a cost of just 4 paise per litre, rural India can now have access to safe drinking water without the use of electricity.A high-technology membrane filter, developed by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), can remove bacteria as well as viruses from water.

29.09.2005 Surfing the net through the wired networks is all set to change with Wireless Fidelity or Wi-Fi services entering India in a big way.

29.09.2005 A seminar entitled “Towards the Incorporation of Vocational Technical Education in the Future Secondary School Curriculum” in Brunei Darussalam has highlighted the “vital role” of incorporating vocational and technological education in the school curriculum.

29.09.2005 A regional workshop on ICT for Community Empowerment through Non-formal Education (NFE) will be convened by the UNESCO Asia Pacific Programme of Education for All (APPEAL) in Chennai, India from 3 to 7 October 2005.

28.09.2005 At the teleconference held at CII, CK Prahalad, renowned management guru,opined that it is possible to connect rural markets with the global marketplace.

28.09.2005 From 24 October to 2 December 2005 the UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) will hold an internet discussion forum on open course content. The forum will explore the concept of open course content, its context, current initiatives, and issues and implications of its use.

28.09.2005 OneWorld South Asia on behalf of the Grassroots Caucus organised a side event “Missing Grassroots Voices” at PrepCom 3 on September 27th. Grassroots voices have always been missing from policy-making fora. The event started with a film screening on grassroots people sharing their development concerns and how ICTs could offer possible solutions to them. This was followed by a presentation by Basudev Dhungana, a grassroots community worker from Nepal and part of the OneWorld official delegation to PrepCom 3. Report Bidisha Pillai and T. N. Anuradha from Geneva.

28.09.2005 Seven years ago, these rural newsletters started off as communication tools for limited use by women self-help groups.Today, these newsletters have emerged as the voice of not just these groups, but also of their villages.

28.09.2005 The Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Vellore Range, Christopher Nelson inaugurated the telemedicine unit of the Trauma Care and Road Safety (T-CARS) Trust at the T-CARS Trauma Clinic in Thiruvalam.

28.09.2005 Data on pattadar passbooks in Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh will be computerised by November 15, said Collector, G. Asok Kumar.