After he was apprised of the status of mobile connectivity across the country in a meeting with the senior bureaucrats of the infrastructure ministries on Monday evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed serious concern over the issue of “call drops” and asked officials to explain the steps being taken to address the problem, which, he said, directly affects the common man.
He directed that steps be taken urgently to resolve the problem, and also to ensure that the problems in voice connectivity do not extend to data connectivity in the future, according to an official release. The Prime Minister also reviewed the progress of digital infrastructure, rural infrastructure, and connectivity sectors at the meeting with the officials.
Mr. Modi sought details from officials on the preparations for providing electricity to all unconnected villages in the country within 1000 days, the target he set in his Independence Day address earlier this month. He directed the officials to monitor progress on a real-time basis, the release said.
He directed officials to explore the possibility of leveraging existing resources, including railway and other communication infrastructure, to provide mobile connectivity in remote, unconnected areas. He emphasised that the targets for digital infrastructure should be synchronised with the targets for the Digital India initiative.
“The Prime Minister said that with enough funds now being provided for infrastructure creation, the onus is on the ministries concerned to ensure that these outlays are converted into proportionate outcomes,” the release said.
Mr. Modi also reviewed progress of solar energy-related projects, especially with regard to railway stations and airports and gave directions for speeding up the work related to setting up of Railway Universities.
