Uninor announces winners of ‘Internet for All Challenge’
The telecom operator Uninor has officially announced the winners of its ‘Internet for All Challenge’. The jury shortlisted three best ideas- Battle Out, Facial Recognition and Safe City. The top two winners Swati Sachdeva (Battle Out) and Nipun Matreja (Facial Recognition) will now represent India at the Telenor Youth Summit 2014, to be held in Oslo, Norway, in association with the Nobel Peace Center. The challenge was launched in August to provide the youth with a platform to innovate and present ideas of using internet technology to address a social need.
Speaking about the IFA Challenge, Sigve Brekke, EVP and Head of the Telenor Asia said, “We believe in the power of youth to bring progressive change in the society. This along with affordable and easy access to Internet can bring transformation in India, providing relevant and useful local content that benefit the masses. Through this platform we offer the winners a chance to engage with youth from other countries and break cultural barriers.”
Along with this, Morten K Sorby, CEO of Uninor, said, “With 65% of Indians below 35 years of age, youth is a strong force in the country. Uninor is engaging with the youth to offer them a platform to realise the full potential of affordable internet and build suitable services that can provide opportunity to empower society. We saw very good ideas in every phase of the IFA Challenge. We congratulate the winners and wish them all the best for The Telenor Youth Summit in Oslo, Norway. This will certainly be an experience that they will remember for a lifetime.”
The competition received 600 entries from the entire country and then seven finalists were selected amongst them from the six operating circles and Delhi. The top three winners are Swati Sachdeva from Ahmedabad, Nipun Matreja from Pune and Jyotsana Kalra from New Delhi. The winning idea ‘Battle Out’ is about helping women in danger, by being able to trace their locations via a mobile app while they are in distress. The first runner-up’s idea Facial Recognition is about using facial recognition software to identify a criminal, a loved one or a dead body. The third idea Safecity Stay Safe Mobile Application can address the issue of sexual harassment and abuse in public spaces.
