New Delhi, 16th January 2023: The flag-off event was attended by Dr. Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad, Union Minister of State for Finance, Government of India along with Dr. Huzaifa Khorakiwala, CEO – Wockhardt Foundation, Ms. Charu Kapoor, COO, NIIT Foundation and Mr. Harsh Khurana, Chief – Regulatory, Corporate Affairs & Communications Department, Huawei India. The vehicles will be plying in smaller towns and localities of Delhi-NCR region, Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra.
On occasion of the flag-off, Dr. Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad, Union Minister of State for Finance, Government of India said, “Healthcare and education are strong pillars of our society which should be continuously strengthened in order to build a robust Digital India. In a country as diverse and as large as ours, the need is for a participatory approach in which all of us, from Government to corporate sector to civil society, work together towards a common goal. I firmly believe that our collective efforts will help us in developing more avenues that will help the people from underprivileged sections access opportunities, to bring them at a level playing field with the rest of the society.”
The NIIT Foundation-Huawei 5G enabled Digi buses are equipped with 20 desktops and 30 mobile phones each, indoor and outdoor digital screens, and 5G enabled network for remote teacher/presenter interaction. The vehicles will provide digital awareness, education, and skills to youth, women and the underprivileged in remote and rural areas of the country.
Mr. Akash Mathur, Vice President, Huawei Telecommunications (India) Co. Pvt. Ltd said, “In line with Huawei’s focus on connecting people to make the world a better place, a long-term vision is needed. We believe that good health and education are rights of every citizen, irrespective of their geography, and through these initiatives flagged off today, we aim to provide towards that need. Penetration of digital access for important services remains a problem in India, due to challenges of cost, internet availability and lack of knowledge. While efforts are being put towards building the last mile digital connection across the country, we believe initiatives such as ours, are useful supplements to get the ground ready for future development.”
