Proposal on BharatNet with Cabinet

The department of telecommunications has sent a proposal on the second phase of the BharatNet project to the Cabinet.

In this phase, the plan is to connect 150,000 panchayats by December next year. BharatNet (earlier National Optical Fibre Network) was launched in 2013, to create the infrastructure for providing broadband connectivity of 100 Mbps to all gram panchayats.

In the first phase, the government has connected 100,000 gram panchayats.

An official said the revised outlay is Rs 42,068 crore, comprising Rs 11,148 crore for the first phase, Rs 18,792 crore for the second, Rs 4,000 crore for last-mile connectivity and Rs 6,046 crore for operational maintenance.

In the second phase, there is to be a mix of optic fibre cable (underground and aerial), as also radio and satellite modes. Bharat Broadband Network is the nodal agency to oversee the work. The government says around 150 gram panchayats are being connected each day.