Dr. Shahid Amin
The world is surrounded by some of the most important innovations in terms of better electricity, roads, infrastructure, medicines, food, transport, high speed internet services etc. The Internet has revolutionised communications, to the extent that it is now our preferred medium of everyday communication. In almost everything we do, we use the internet. The internet itself has now been transformed. It widened its scope in the 1980s and 1990s through the IT capabilities of universities and research centers, and later on, public entities, institutions, and private enterprises from around the world. The emergence of web 2.0 in first decade of the twenty-first century was itself a revolution in the short history of the Internet, boosting the rise of social media and other interactive, crowd-based communication tools. The internet today is no longer concerned with information exchange alone. Today, we can send data from one part of the world to the other in a matter of seconds; make online presentations, and use pictures, video, sound, and text to share our real lives, our genuine identity. The development of the Internet today is being shaped predominantly by instant, mobile communications. The mobile Internet is a recent revolution. Internet connectivity via smart phones and tablets is leading to an increasingly mobile reality. We are not tied to any single specific device, and everything is in the cloud. Another great innovation of all time is electricity which is a force of energy used all over the world. Before discovering electricity, people have been living for centuries without it. We could imagine one dark world at night without electricity with the exception of a candle here and there. Nevertheless, even though humans have survived without it, the chance of the human race advancement without electricity is highly unlikely.
Electricity and the good Internet services are very significant today for the progress and development of the nations. Even the most backward regions today cannot think of moving forward without power and good internet services. Internet is a booster for the regions for the upliftment of education, business and economy etc. Can you think of a region today where authorities claim it as a progressive region but without any proper internet and power facilities? Yes it is our Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir where a mockery is going on with the essentials of life. It is indeed a serious crisis here to find internet services being stopped regularly. Even when internet is showing some life, its low speed is pathetic. It is posing a great threat to education and online businesses in J&K. The present crisis due to pandemic to some extent has been given a treatment worldwide by making things work online but our Jammu & Kashmir is an exception. Here 4G internet services seem to be a distant dream now and you can find 2G is always volatile.
The Internet has clearly impacted all levels of education today by providing unbounded possibilities for learning especially in this COVID-19 crisis. But for Jammu & Kashmir the authorities seem to have a different intention. They must understand that the future of education is a networked future. Good Internet services can be used to develop new ways of teaching and learning that may captivate and stimulate our students’ imagination. Better Internet services can offer an immense wealth of possibilities for our students and will not put their health under risk due to Covid-19 crisis. They have no choice in the absence of better internet rather than showing their physical presence in coaching centers. It has to be noted seriously that the internet is one of the key factors driving today’s economy. No one can afford to be left behind and please don’t push our Jammu & Kashmir to more dark. Even in tough conditions, the Internet can foster growth, coupled with enhanced productivity and competitiveness. Today small and medium-sized enterprises have immensely benefitted by internet services but our enterprises in Jammu & Kashmir are troubled by the conservative approach because of weak internet services.
Electricity is also highly volatile in Jammu & Kashmir and troubling common masses. It is a very serious issue despite being the producers of good power; our UT is a big sufferer. Electricity has huge significance in our daily lives. Starting with our house, electricity is important for operating all appliances and lighting and of course, all technology. Establishments such as schools, medical facilities such as hospitals and retail facilities, all need electricity to run efficiently. Electricity is also important for computers or monitors. It is a chilly winter in Jammu & Kashmir and frequent cuts in electricity is a terrible crisis.
I was not considering it that serious as being settled outside the Jammu & Kashmir. I visited my home few months back in Kashmir and have faced a terrible experience with a very poor power and internet services here. On many occasions, I have moved from one district to another to catch 2G internet services on my mobile. In fact things have now become worse in our Jammu & Kashmir than before. It is a sign of an inefficient system not to find better electricity and internet services in this human claiming modern age.
