Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has allocated Rs 10,000 crores in 2018-19 for phase two of BharatNet, the government’s ambitious scheme to connect the country’s villages with high-speed optical fibre network. Not part of phase I, the government now also aims to install 500,000 WiFi hotspots to provide broadband access to 50 million rural citizens.
Jaitley announced the allocation during his speech on the 2018-19 Union Budget presented by him on Thursday.
The deadline for completion of the second phase of the project is March 2019--December 31, 2017 being the date when the first installment got over.
The phase I of the project, spread over 2016-18, had a collective outlay of Rs 14,426 crore.
The BharatNet project -- split between two phases -- aims to connect 200 million rural Indians in 2,50,000 gram panchayats with a high-speed broadband network. The project seeks to provide affordable broadband services to citizens and institutions in rural and remote areas, in partnership with states and the private sector.
BharatNet infrastructure is expected to catalyse digital delivery of services for the rural poor -- health, education, livelihood skills, e-agriculture and e-commerce.
As on December 31, 2017, 2,54,895 km of optic fibre cable had been laid, covering 1,09,926 gram panchayats.
Telecom service providers have access to infrastructure created under BharatNet on a non-discriminatory basis on payment of a certain tariff to the department of telecommunications. They get to provide high-speed broadband services in the rural areas through Wi-Fi and fibre-to-home.
Besides telecom services companies which are the implementation partners, BharatNet stakeholders include optic fibre cable manufacturers and equipment suppliers and technology partners.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
