Low speed internet coupled with its frequent shutdown in the Valley has proved to be a dampener for the Aagroya Setu contact tracing app used in the fight against Covid-19.
As per official data, while the central government’s app has crossed the milestone of 10 lakh users in J&K recently, it has only managed to get over 3 lakh users in the entire Valley. The app has as many as 7.73 lakh users in the Jammu division.
The app, which is envisaged to enable contact tracing to limit the spread of the coronavirus outbreak, was launched by the government of India on April 2. In more than two months of its launch, the Aarogya Setu app touched 10,81,785 installs in J&K, officials informed. However, Jammu division has seen almost 7,73,270 downloads of the app while the number in the Valley is just 3,08,515 so far.
Jammu district has the highest number of Aarogya Setu app users at 23.96 per cent of the total users in J&K followed by Samba which has 20.51 per cent users, Udhampur 14.36 per cent, Kathua 12.29 per cent.
Comparatively, all the districts of the Valley have fared poorly in terms of generating public response for the app. With just 8.47 per cent of the total users of the app, Budgam is the leading district in the Valley. Summer capital Srinagar lags behind at just 3.59 per cent users. Similarly, Ganderbal has 5.28 per cent, Pulwama 4.6 per cent, Kulgam 3.9 per cent, Anantnag 4.26 per cent and Shopian 3.59 per cent. As per the official data, the response to the app in north Kashmir has also been low. Kupwara has 3.54 per cent, Bandipora 3.67 per cent while Baramulla 4.77 per cent.
Past president of Information Communication Technology Association of J&K, Mehraj Gulzar says that had there been uninterrupted internet service, the app could have been of much better use for contact tracing in the Valley.
“A good internet connection is important as the app gives geo-coordinates of the users which gives the information whether the person is safe or at high risk of contracting Covid-19 disease”. For this the app needs a reliable and uninterrupted internet connection otherwise it does not serve the purpose,” Mehraj said.
Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday completed 10 months (305 days) without 4G internet which has badly affected the students, business community and other internet users.
Frequent suspension of Internet services in the Valley by the authorities during last several years has caused a body-blow to Kashmir’s economy resulting in losses worth almost Rs 4000 crore between 2012 to 2017, says a study— The anatomy of an internet blackout: Measuring the economic impact of internet shutdowns in India. The study has been conducted by Delhi-based think-tank International Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER).