3,246 gram panchayats in HP to get broadband connectivity soon

3,246 gram panchayats in HP to get broadband connectivity soon

Shimla: Himachal Pradesh will soon connect all the 3,243 gram panchayats with broadband internet connectivity, an official said here on Friday.

Photo: www.excellbroadband.com

For this, the government is implementing the national optical fiber network project, a government spokesperson told IANS.

At present, optical fiber cable connectivity is available only at the state capital, the district headquarters, and up to the block level.

The national optical fiber network will be done by utilizing existing fibers of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) and also laying incremental fiber, if required.

The spokesperson said that the aim of the project is to empower the rural masses by providing improved access to information and public services.

It would also facilitate electronic delivery of services like e-education, e-health, e-banking, and e-agriculture.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 11 had reviewed the project, that is already much delayed.

The project was conceived in 2011 and the deadline to connect all panchayats with broadband was 2013-end. But later, the timeline was deferred to September 2015 by the then United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

By the end of March 2015, only 20,000 village panchayats had got broadband connectivity whereas the target was to connect 50,000 village panchayats.

The central government has set a target to roll out broadband in 150,000 village panchayats by March 2016 and the rest by end of 2016.

(IANS)

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