Border areas, remote villages in Ladakh digitally connected: Army

Don't want to miss the best from Business Standard?

Sustained efforts by the Army, in collaboration with telecom service providers, in the past five months has brought border areas and remote villages in Ladakh, including remote locations of Kargil and Siachen, on the digital connectivity map.

In a post on X on Thursday, the Indian Army also shared a video of this journey and glimpses of the change it has brought to the lives of local people in the region.

In its post captioned 'Indian Army for India's First Villages: Bringing Connectivity & Hope to Remote Areas', the Army said the border areas and remote villages in Ladakh were "devoid of 4G mobile connectivity" until June 2024.

"This was depriving the local communities from being connected to the digital revolution in the nation. The Indian Army in collaboration with Bharti Airtel set out to ensure connectivity in these First Villages of India," it said.

The Army further said the Leh-based Fire and Fury Corps "proactively engaged all the telecom service providers" and assisted them in installation of mobile towers in theses remote areas.

"Fighting against the harsh weather including sub-zero temperatures, a total of 42 Airtel 4G mobile towers have been installed in 5 months covering the remote locations of Kargil, Siachen, Demchok, DBO and Galwan providing much needed connectivity to the populace as well as soldiers serving in Ladakh," it said in its post.

"This initiative will boost tourism in the state and help the local community by improving access to online education, remote healthcare and fostering economic opportunities through government schemes bridging the existing digital divide.

"Indian Army is committed to fostering holistic development of First Villages located in remote areas to achieve our national vision of #ViksitBharat by 2047," the Army said.