BharatNet scheme links 1.2 lakh panchayats through optical fibre

As the backbone of Digital India initiatives to provide Internet, the e-panchayat facility at all panchayats, the first phase of BharatNet scheme has connected 1.2 lakh of the targeted 2.5 lakh gram panchayats (GPs), or village blocks through optical fibre, with 1.16 lakh of them ready with broadband services as well, Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha informed Parliament on December 12. The scheme is centrally funded and aims to connect over 6 lakh villages through optical fibre by March 31, 2019.

"As on January 21, 2018, optical fibre connectivity has been provided to 1,10,848 gram panchayats by laying 2,58,635 kilometres of optical fibre cable and 1,01,936 gram panchayats have been made service ready under the BharatNet project (phase I)," the minister said in a written reply.

The second phase of the project is aimed at connecting the remaining 1.5 lakh gram panchayats and is targeted to be completed, as per the modified strategy, by March 2019, he added.

"For around 1.05 lakh GPs, agencies for setting up of Wi-Fi hotspots have been selected. So far, Wi-Fi hotspots have been installed at 39,359 GPs. Of these, services have been provided at 10,775 GPs, catering to over 11 lakh subscribers with a data usage of over 50 TB (terabyte) per month," Sinha said in a written reply to Lok Sabha.

This initiative crossed its halfway mark and will make telecom infrastructure available to service providers in a fair manner, Department of Telecommunications (DoT) Additional Secretary Anshu Parekh had said at a recent event.

The BharatNet scheme was originally called the National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN), conceived by the UPA-II government in 2011. The NDA government renamed it and the project is now monitored by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

Union minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Narendra Singh Tomar told the Lok Sabha that the government has taken initiatives to provide Internet/ e-panchayat facility at all panchayats on priority.

On a statement, Tomar said Common Services Centre Special Purpose Vehicle (CSC-SPV) has been directed by the Telecom Commission to enable wi-fi choupal project at BharatNet enabled gram panchayats.

Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan said the project’s second phase had been initiated and “we hope it will be completed well in time by December 2018.”