The Digital India project of the Union government is aimed at digitally empowering the poor and the underprivileged through the creation of technological infrastructure, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister for Communications and IT, has said.
He was speaking after commissioning the country’s first high-speed rural broadband network, NOFN, in Idukki district at the Technopark here on Monday.
Listing out the achievements of the Union government in leveraging digital technology since he took charge, Mr. Prasad said that in-principle approval had been accorded for nine electronic clusters, one of which would be in Kochi. Another significant step would be a policy for BPOs in mofussil towns across the country.
Enabling atmosphere
“India has 90 crore mobile phone connections, 300 million Internet connections, and we also have the biggest sales of smartphones after the U.S. We just need to create an enabling atmosphere for people to start using technology for development. Why can’t we have a BPO in a remote town in Idukki? IT-trained people are waiting to have a platform. The NOFN is a revolutionary instrument to change India through the federal cooperative principal,” Mr. Prasad said.
Proper digital literature in language for the poor should be created. Connectivity with farmers should be ensured as well, he said.
Fast call
Earlier, the Minister received a phone call from Edamalakkudy, the remotest panchayat in Idukki district. It was the first mobile call ever to go out from the tribal panchayat.
Voice connectivity
The voice connectivity was achieved after its connection to the NOFN. The MP, MLAs, and panchayat members of the district participated in the meeting through videoconferencing.
The project, which will link 2.5 lakh grama panchayats, will be funded from the government’s Universal Service Obligation Fund.
The rural broadband network project was envisaged and the BBNL set up as a special purpose vehicle in 2012 during the UPA regime.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said the State would work closely with the Union government to achieve the target of providing 100 MBps connectivity to all panchayats by March this year, and become the first State in the country to do so.
