Villages adopted by MPs to get free Wi-Fi: Minister
The government will provide free Wi-Fi to villages adopted by MPs under the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana, Junior Communications Minister Manoj Sinha said yesterday. 1L gram panchayats have already been connected under Phase I of the Digital India program; the goal is another 1.5L by March'19, he added. The government has also identified locations in 10 left-wing extremism affected states for providing mobile services.
About the BharatNet scheme
This project was approved by the previous UPA government in 2011 as the National Optical Fibre Network. However, the government failed to see it through: only 100kms of about 3Lkms of optical fiber was laid out across the country. The Modi government renamed it to BharatNet and rushed its roll-out. Until December'17, 100,000 gram panchayats had been connected through optic fiber cable under Phase-I.
Bandwidth prices reduced by 75% in Phase-II
The second phase of BharatNet was launched with an outlay of Rs. 31,000cr. Sinha said the government had reduced bandwidth prices by 75%, so telecom operators could provide services at affordable rates. Reliance Jio paid the highest subscription fee of Rs. 13cr to provide services in 30,000 village panchayats. Bharti Airtel paid Rs. 5cr, Vodafone Rs. 11L and Idea Cellular Rs. 5L.
Wi-Fi hotspots to increases exponentially in Phase-II
As of November, there were 38,000 Wi-Fi hotspots in the country. Under Phase-II, about 7L Wi-Fi hotspots will be added with 2-5 hotspots in each panchayat. As some hotspots might not be commercially viable, government will support telecom operators with a funding of Rs. 3,600cr.
2,335 towers set up in left-wing extremism affected areas
According to Sinha, the government has proposed to set up 25,000 Wi-Fi hotspots at BSNL's rural exchanges. Later, private telecom operators will also be roped in for the project. In Phase-I, 2,355 locations in left-wing extremism affected areas were selected for installation of towers; as of now, 2,335 of these towers are radiating. In the second phase, another 4,072 towers will be installed
MPs adopting villages, ensuring all-round development under SAANJHI scheme
The Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAANJHI) was launched on October 11, 2014. Under it, the goal is to develop three 'Adarsh Grams' by March'19. Afterwards, five such Adarsh Grams will be selected and developed by 2024, one per year. MPs adopt villages and are responsible for ensuring all-round development of their regions. Evaluation of results though a competent agency has been proposed.
