The government’s ambitious project to connect 2.5 lakh gram panchayats with high-speed broadband Bharat Net, upon completion, could add Rs 4.5 lakh crore or roughly 3.3 per cent to India’s GDP, and trigger a “massive services revolution” in the rural areas, telecom secretary Aruna Sundararajan said.
The project involves bringing 100 million Indians in rural areas online by 2018 and tying up with telecom operators to providing last-mile connectivity in villages at rock-bottom prices. It also envisages roping in domestic electronic equipment makers to provide equipment for Bharat Net.
2-5 WiFi hotspots per panchayat, depending upon the population density, will be made available.
Read more of this in a report published in The Indian Express....
