Dr. J. N. Singh, Chief Secretary, Govt. of Gujarat, inaugurated the ‘HP WoW’ vehicle which is a 20 seated computer and IT enabled vehicle powered by green energy and backed by numerous software suites and cloud integration. The HP-WOW bus will offer a mobility solution to help bridge the digital divide between urban and rural areas by bringing easy information technology access to the isolated and disadvantaged groups in 18 villages of Ahmedabad, Gujrat. It will also promote IT enabled education through e-learning modules, entrepreneurial and skill development courses will help train school children, rural youth and communities, among others by acting as a Community Service Center (CSC). With added services of Common Service Centre (CSC), it will benefit the local population for a hassle free linkage to Government programs and initiatives. Also present on the occasion were Dr. Sunil Shukla, Director – EDII and Mr. Ashish Sahay, Head, CSR- HP Inc. India.
The ‘HP World on Wheels’ or (HP WoW) project sponsored by (HP) Inc.; and implemented by Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), is part of HP’s commitment to build and deploy 48 self-contained, Internet-enabled digital inclusion and learning labs in PPP model aimed at driving digital literacy, E education, Entrepreneurship training, and other citizen services in rural India.
Through its fleet of 48 vehicles and collaboration with other Corporates, NPOs, Govt Programs etc, HP aims to reach 6,400 Indian villages, impacting more than 15 million people over the next six years. In the current partnership with EDII, HP has contributed total of 5 vehicles across Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. Each 20-seat, IT-enabled HP WoW vehicle is equipped with HP computing and printing equipment, such as HP Thin Clients, an HP Workstation, and an HP OfficeJet all-in-one printer, as well as software suites and e-learning tools, like HP Classroom Manager, HP VideoBook & HP Life.
Speaking at the occasion, Dr. J. N. Singh, stated, “This is a landmark initiative towards creating a knowledge society. I am sure the results will lead us to a large section of digitally empowered people where enhanced knowledge, skills and behavior will help the nation carve a niche.”
Endorsing the statement, Mr. Ashish Sahay, said, “We intend to make a measurable difference by inspiring people to put their best foot forward by gaining digital literacy and meaningfully contributing towards the making of the digital economy that we all envision.”
Dr. Sunil Shukla stated, “The vision of Digital India is ably supported by momentous efforts and one such tangible initiative is the HP World on Wheels Project. This innovative project will impart digital capabilities and also an understanding on the variety of significant subjects to people in the remotest corners of the country.”
