2G Internet: Kids can’t download textbooks, says Asgar Samoon

SRINAGAR — Asgar Samoon, senor bureaucrat in J&K Government on Friday tweeted that kids cannot download textbooks as speed of internet is slow.

Taking to Twitter, Asgar Hassan Samoon, one of the senior most bureaucrats in J&K Government, wrote that kids cannot download textbooks as the speed of internet is slow.

“Kids have no i-pads/no acess to desktops. Can’t download textbooks as internet is slow; Rs 2030.87 lac released for 1st-8th class; DSEJ Rs 1105.44 lac & DSEK Rs. 925.43 lac; kmr div/distributed books; remaining Jammu districts-dsej/ceos/zeos to expedite work in 2 wks,” Samoon tweeted.

Samoon is Principal Secretary of School Education Department. In an order issued on April 03 on imposing restrictions on 4G, J&K’s Home Department stated that internet restrictions don’t pose any hindrance to access online educational content.

The high-speed internet services remain suspended in J&K from August 05, 2019 when the Centre abrogated J&K’s special status provided under Article 370.

The 2G internet facility on mobile phones was restored on January 25 after remaining suspended for nearly five months.

Last month, National Conference President and MP from Srinagar Lok Sabha seat Farooq Abdullah wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking immediate restoration of high-speed 4G internet services in J&K in the wake of outbreak of COVID-19.