In order to boost its World Ahead Programme, Intel has announced an alliance with UNESCO and 16 companies in India to offer the benefits of ICT to the education and healthcare sectors in rural villages. The alliance will extend the cooperation between Intel and New Delhi affiliate of UNESCO to increase the use of information technology among the rural masses.

Intel has already introduced the mobile computer lab and mobile health facilities programme at Baramati in Maharashtra as a part of this alliance. According to Craig Barrett, chairman, Intel, “We want to provide quality education and health facilities through the use of technology with our 16 partners present in India. We want to transform the way people are living in rural areas and will provide the best of technology to make their life smooth. Our programme will cover all the 700,000 rural villages in India through phases.”

Intel will invest $1 billion within the next five years for the World Ahead Programme and bring content expertise from its experience in other countries to India. “India will get a fair share of this $1 billion investment and we are extending our efforts to drive progress in four different areas such as accessibility, connectivity, education and content,” states Barrett. To extend connectivity, Intel is developing mobile PCs that will contain not just WiFi capabilities but also options for WiMAX, 3G and other technologies.

Companies like Appollo, Comat Technologies, Fortis Healthcare, NIIT Limited, Manipal University, SREI SAHAJ e-village Limited, TCS and others are working with Intel under this programme.