IT has revolutionized the world and the economies around. It is the speed of the internet and the pace of the information management that is dictating the new economic order in rest of the world. So fast is the pace of the change that some of world’s oldest journals have ceased to be physical as the virtual world is offering them enough of revenue and penetration that they are improving.
For the people in Kashmir, it is still a sunrise economy – something that has enough potential and prospects but is yet to be transformed for the larger good. Systemic failure in offering an adequate policy framework and handholding the new initiatives has limited its scope. Apart from certain ideas still at incubation stage, there are a few initiatives which survive at their own, managing forward and backward linkages. And a number of professionals have actually migrated out to serve larger organizations in the Indian plains for lack of opportunities available here.
Technology’s footprints are here and in abundance. J&K spends almost Rs 1000 crore per year on purchasing new mobile phones and the services that make these little things work. Personal computer penetration in Kashmir market is presumed to be one of the highest in north India. Now, internet is just another service that is gradually becoming vital for survival in the 21st century. Postal systems are working round the clock to reinvent the way they stay relevant to the mankind as the email has taken over.
But that is where we stand! For us, the internet is a service that gives us access to email, newspapers and the social networking sites. The internet is neither dependable nor has commercially accepted up-time. It plays second fiddle to the electricity and in areas lacking current faces problems in having internet, even on the mobile. The larger problem that most of the broadband users face is the speed.
Of late, there have been some ventures in the valley which are testing the e-commerce part of the IT. Then there are academics and the professionals like filmmakers and journalists. All these sectors, which are otherwise productive for individuals and societies, required a respectful bandwidth.
It is quite possible and is otherwise apparent that the service will be used by people for purposes that may not suit systems and establishments in place. This ‘threat perception’ has already led to a lot of legislations and rule-framing and now the real police is hunting its targets in virtual world as well. But that is what the idea of having a common knowledge highway is all about. It is aimed at democratizing the world in which people will have their say, on issues, instances, areas and ideas. It is real democracy at work and let it survive. It will help democracy and not dent it.
