Will the Minister of ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state: -
(a) whether the Government proposes to promote Information Technology infrastructure for providing digital connections in Gram Panchayats;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Government also proposes to bring in private sector for promoting the digital connectivity in rural areas; and
(d) if so, the details thereof?
(a) and (b): BharatNet project is being implemented to provide broadband connectivity to all the Gram Panchayats (GPs) (approx.. 2,50,000) in the country. As on 15.07.2018, 1,18,087 Gram Panchayats have been connected on optical fibre cable (OFC) by lying 2,83,708 KM of OFC with 1,13,091 service ready GPs.
As part of this project, the last mile connectivity, through Wi-Fi or any other suitable broadband technology is being provided at all the GPs in the country. At each GP, on an average, 5 Access Point (APs) are being provided (3 APs of Govt. institution and 2 APs for public places)
(c) and (d): The cabinet approved a modified strategy for BharatNet on July 19, 2017 to expedite the implementation of BharatNet phase-II which includes, inter alia, implementation of the project under State Model, CPSE Model and Private Sector Model.
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