BharatNet scheme links 1.2 lakh panchayats through optical fibre

The 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.

Sinha said there are five Wi-Fi access points on average in each GP, which include two at public places and three for government institutions like schools, hospitals, post offices and police stations, The Economic Times reported.

"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).

The project has been moving at a sluggish pace and has missed several deadlines. DoT recently warned of strict action against Bharat Broadband Network (BBNL) and Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) if they failed to provide necessary assistance in the scheme.

Telecom secretary Aruna Sundararajan wrote to BBNL and its top management saying that exemplary disciplinary action would be taken against officials responsible for non-operational network in the villages.