Full coverage: South Asia

31.10.2007 BangaloreIT.in 2007 - billed as Asia’s biggest ICT event - got on to a slow start on October 30, with few IT enthusiasts participating on the first day.

31.10.2007 A two-day workshop on “IT for All” is promoting the use of Information Technology for the betterment of all sections of society. The workshop, organised by FTK-Center for Information Technology, Jamia Millia Islamia, opened at its campus in New Delhi.

30.10.2007 New Delhi based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) invites nominations for a special short training programme on information management and dissemination in the digital age. The course will be held on December 11-14, 2007 at the Delhi CSE premises.

29.10.2007 EDEX – Sri Lanka’s largest Education and Careers Expo – will offer online resources in higher education, skills development, employment guidance and placements through its web portal. This would be operational via ICTA’s Nenasala programme that boosts IT literacy among rural youth through its 400 IT kiosks across the country.

29.10.2007 The Indian government’s department of science and technology (DST) will fund IT companies to help adopt innovative ideas as value addition to their products. The proposal will encourage IT companies to brand their services and retain their competitiveness in the international market despite the instability in the currency market.

25.10.2007 Bihar is one of the few states in India, which has failed to reap the benefits of modern technology. To catch up with other states, the government now plans to take internet into the rural hinterland. The e-kiosks will function as delivery points for e-governance and e-learning centres, providing information and services such as commodity rates, agricultural counselling, health and hygiene, etc.

22.10.2007 The Government of India and the United Nations Development Programme have joined hands to impart new technology skills to the unemployed youth and generate employment. The SKILLS project’s new portal will be accessible by all stakeholders of the vocational training network.

11.10.2007 The Indian government plans to set up data centres in the 28 states under the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP). These centres will provide digital services to citizens including online service delivery among others.

09.10.2007 Kannettaviin tietokoneisiin liittyvä innovaatio toi nepalilaiselle Mahabir Punille arvostetun Ramon Magsaysay -palkinnon. Pun oli käynnistäjänä projektissa, joka yhdisti seitsemän nepalin vuoristokylää langattomilla yhteyksillä toisiinsa sekä lopulta Internetiin. Kaiken kaikkiaan hanke on tarjonnut 14 syrjäiselle kylälle lääkinnällisiä, koulutuksellisia sekä kaupankäynnillisiä palveluita.

09.10.2007 Reuters Market Light (RML), a mobile phone-based service launched by Reuters, will connect India's 250 million farmers with buyers and traders and offer updated pricing information, news and weather updates. So far, 7,500 farmers have signed up for the service.

09.10.2007 Reuters Market Light (RML), a mobile phone-based service launched by Reuters, will connect India's 250 million farmers with buyers and traders and offer updated pricing information, news and weather updates. So far, 7,500 farmers have signed up for the service.

09.10.2007 Chairman of the National Knowledge Commission, Sam Pitroda called for a 1,000 community radio stations in India in the next one year at a recent media workshop at Auroville, Puducherry. The workshop also stressed on the need for better radio laws to make technology accessible and affordable to all.

09.10.2007 Greater decentralisation of ICT programmes with locally relevant, context specific and flexible content can boost literacy, says the 10 point charter of the two day international conference of E-9 countries on ICT for Literacy in Bangalore, India. The E-9 countries are Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nigeria, Egypt, Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, China and India.

07.10.2007 Karnatakan osavaltio eteläisessä Intiassa on käynnistä laajan e-hallintohankkeen, jonka tarkoituksena on tarjota monipuolisia informaatiopalveluita alueen syrjäisille seuduille. Kaiken kaikkiaan hanke pitää sisällään yli 5500 informaatiokeskusta. Informaatiota on saatavilla terveydenhuollosta, maanviljelystä, koulunkäynnistä aina pankkipalveluihin.

05.10.2007 On October 3rd ,Delhi University joined the league of Indian universities with a community radio station. DU 90.4 FM will broadcast community related programmes as well as those dealing with students' issues.

04.10.2007 A national working group on WiMax will build strategies for India's active participation in the Global WiMax Forum. It expects to achieve the national target of 20 million broadband connections by 2010.

04.10.2007 The National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB) of Pakistan has launched an information management system in all districts of Punjab. This IT based programme will monitor and support local governments to develop e-Governance at the grassroots.

04.10.2007 India's first tsunami warning centre became operational on October 1st. Located at the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), at Hyderabad, the centre is now functioning 24/7. India’s southern coast was devastated by the Asian tsunami three years back.

03.10.2007 ‘India aspires to be a knowledge society but wants to engage poorest 250 million in menial tasks,’ says Professor Anil Gupta of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad and Vice Chairman of National Innovation Foundation. Here he speaks on the need to democratize the spirit of e-content and bring about a cultural revolution through digital technologies.