Experts discuss plans to set up info hub at Perumbakkam resettlement site

CHENNAI

As urbanisation continues to increase steadily, there is a lot of scope in India to take digital transformation to people living below the poverty line, said experts.

An international workshop on digital inclusion of the urban poor conducted by Anna University was inaugurated on Monday. 

In the five-day workshop organised by the Department of Media Sciences, Anna University with funding from the Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Research Development Support, urban development experts from Kenya, Indonesia, and the Netherlands will discuss ideas for aiding the underprivileged sections of society with technology. 

“Globally, rapid urbanisation is going to take place in cities. The challenges associated with it are demand-supply gaps, poverty reduction, and housing,” said G. Nagaraja, Director, Centre for International Relations, Anna University. The workshop is part of a larger project that is involved in interventions at the Perumbakkam resettlement area in Chennai. 

The interventions involve bridging the technological gap between women and men in Perumbakkam and setting up a hub for the residents to access digital information such as government schemes, changes in Aadhaar card and ration card. “The centre will provide training to people to become digitally skilled,” said Maartje van Eerd, Chief Coordinator, LDE grant.