28 September 2014 - Enhancements to the Digital Inclusion (DI) Programme will see more needy households having access to computers, tablets, connectivity and IT support.
Singapore, 28 September 2014 | For Immediate Release
Enhancements to the Digital Inclusion (DI) Programme will see more needy households having access to computers, tablets, connectivity and IT support and enjoying the benefits brought about by technology. Details of the enhancements were announced at the eighth Silver Infocomm Day (SID) by Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for Communications and Information.
Organised by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore, in collaboration with Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) as well as industry and community partners, the SID aims to promote IT literacy and enhance the lives of seniors through learning infocomm skills via seminars, hands-on workshops and exhibitions.
At the event, Minister Yaacob revealed details of one of the latest initiatives under the DI Programme - the $10 million Digital Inclusion Fund, which includes the Home Access and Social Innovation schemes.
The Home-Access programme will provide fibre broadband connectivity to eligible citizen households, allowing them to make digital phone calls or surf the Internet for at most $6 a month. The assistance scheme is expected to provide about 8,000 low-income households with internet connectivity (100Mbps fibre) and a basic computing device for four years. The Home-Access programme is targeted at households without school going children. It complements existing programmes such as the NEU PC Plus which are targeted at households with school going children.
The NEU PC Plus programme has also been enhanced to keep up with the ever-changing tech landscape. The monthly household income has been raised from $2,700 to $3,000 and the per capita income increased from $700 to $800 in order to allow a larger group of students to be eligible for this scheme. Students under the scheme will also enjoy faster fibre broadband connectivity of 100Mbps and receive infocomm devices and software that are updated to meet the schools’ and students' learning objectives and needs.
The Social Innovation Grant will support the development of up to 10 digital innovations for Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs) to better assist their beneficiaries. The Grant will fund up to 75% of the project cost, capped at $100,000 per project. Innovations must also have the potential for sector-wide deployment and scalability.
The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) will be working together with key stakeholders and partners to deploy these solutions over the next four years. More details will be announced from mid-October onwards.
Minister Yaacob also awarded 28 IT-savvy seniors with the Silver Infocomm Ambassadors Awards for being exemplars of active ageing and their contribution to helping other seniors learn infocomm, especially as Singapore gears up towards becoming the world’s first Smart Nation.
The week-long event, which attracted over 5,000 participants, also saw seniors helping seniors through the highly-popular Silver IT Care programme.
More details on the announcements can be found in Annex 2. To get more information on the various initiatives under the Digital Inclusion programme, please visit www.ida.gov.sg/Individuals-and-Community/Community-Development/.ISSUED BY THE INFOCOMM DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF SINGAPORE (IDA)
About Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore
The mission of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) is to develop information technology and telecommunications within Singapore with a view to serve citizens of all ages and companies of all sizes. IDA does this by actively supporting the growth of innovative technology companies and start-ups in Singapore, working with leading global IT companies as well as developing excellent information technology and telecommunications infrastructure, policies and capabilities for Singapore. For more news and information, visit www.ida.gov.sg.
For media clarifications, please contact:
Mehul SHAH (Mr)
Assistant Manager
Corporate and Marketing Communications Division
Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore
Email: mehul_shah@imda.gov.sg
Malini NATHAN (Ms)
Manager
Corporate and Marketing Communications Division
Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore
Email: malini_nathan@imda.gov.sg
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