Intel Chairman: Digital Transformation to Expand Possibilities for India's Rural Population

Baramati, Maharashtra, India

During his visit to Baramati, Intel Corporation Chairman Craig Barrett reiterated Intel's commitment - through its World Ahead Program - to support the government in bringing technology to rural areas.

"Technology can expand what's possible to create opportunities for the people of India," said Barrett. "Through the World Ahead Program, we remain focused on accelerating access to technology, improving education and increasing Internet connectivity."

Intel and government officials today dedicated Baramati's first digital hospital and WiMAX network. Working with the government and other technology companies, Intel set up the state-of-the-art, high-speed Internet network to connect the community computer center and public kiosks, donated PCs to the community and developed a telemedicine program for Baramati's government hospital.

"The standard use of technology will increase quality of care while lowering health care costs for Baramati Tehsil hospital patients," said Barrett, who also chairs the United Nations Global Alliance for Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and Development. "With computers, real-time video capabilities and electronic medical records, critically ill patients can be diagnosed by medical specialists hundreds of kilometers away."

In support of Intel's contributions, Shri Sharad Pawar, union minister for Agriculture, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, said, "Baramati can be a model for developing communities around the world. The appreciation of the townspeople only fuels our commitment to further empower them through technology."

To enable the wireless communications infrastructure at the community computer center and public kiosks, Intel and Aircel installed WiMAX technology. WiMAX is a cost-effective and efficient way to deliver broadband Internet access to remote communities. The PCs, donated by Intel to the community computer center and public kiosks, also include ones specifically engineered for extreme environments in India. These "Community PCs" have dust filters, auto-restore, and can connect to car batteries for electricity.

To improve rural education, Intel announced that it will help the government equip as many as 100 mobile computer labs in vans throughout the country. So far, five serve village schools as far as 25 kilometers from Baramati.

"Education is vital in developing a skilled workforce", Barrett said during his visit Vidya Pratishthan's Marathi Medium School. "Putting the right tools and training in place now will help Baramati's next generation of citizens realize the potential of their ideas."

Since 2001, Intel has been working closely with the Ministry of Education to aid development of 21st century skills in Maharashtra, which includes Baramati and Pune. Through the Intel® Teach program, local educators are learning how to integrate technology to enhance the classroom learning. So far, more than 40,000 educators have been trained in Maharashtra.

Through its World Ahead Program, Intel plans to extend access to PCs with high-speed Internet connections to millions of citizens and train 1 million teachers in India under the Intel Teach program. As a result, Intel expects to help more than 30 million students across India by 2008. Additional information is available at www.intel.com/intel/worldahead/index.htm.

Intel, the world leader in silicon innovation, develops technologies, products, and initiatives to continually advance how people work and live. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom

Hemlata K. Varlani, PR Manager, Intel, +91 (080) 2507 5034 Hemlata.k.varlani@intel.com

Chaya Arora, Account Manager, 20:20 MEDIA, + 91 (022) 2660 1437 Chaya@2020india.com

Source: Intel Corporation (Business Wire India)

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