In their bid to end the digital divide, the gram panchayats (GPs) in Karnataka have turned out to be one of the largest consumers of broadband data in the country.
Thanks to 6,079 GPs connected with high-speed Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) network, each GP, on an average, is consuming 9.9 GB broadband data because of digitisation of several services. The data usage is one of the largest in the country, said R. Mani, BSNL Chief General Manager, Karnataka Circle.
He said the Karnataka telecom circle was among the first to complete networking of all GPs under OFC, making way for reaching out to urban and rural areas in a similar way to achieve the goals of ‘Digital India’.
Describing Karnataka as a leader in the digital revolution, Mr. Mani said the provision of high-speed Internet has resulted in people from rural areas getting many services such as land records at their villages.
Mysuru Telecom District General Manager K.L. Jairam said the optical fibre network has also helped streamline implementation of MGNREGA in rural areas. The GPs have been using the ‘Panchatantra’ software to provide the services. He said 12,000 km long OFCs had been laid across the State to bring all GPs under the high-speed network.
Other than B.R. Hills and Gopinatham in Chamarajnagar district, all connections to GPs in Mysuru and Chamarajnagar districts were serviced through Information Highways which is making Digital India possible even in the remotest places. Mr. Jairam said all GPs can access KSWAN (Wide Area Network) and all services offered on that.
