Ker Govt to provide free internet to 20 lakh poor families

Moving ahead with its ambitious programme to provide free internet to over 20 lakh poor families, the Kerala government today decided to set up a Joint Venture company to launch its new optic fibre pathway.

A cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, accorded sanction to set up the Kerala Fibre Optic Network Limited, the Joint Venture, to implement the Kerala Fibre Optic Network (K-FON) project.

The K-FON initiative is being implemented to provide speedy internet connectivity to government offices and educational institutions and also quality internet service to the public at an affordable rate.

"With the project becoming a reality, over 20 lakh poor families will get free internet service while others will get it at an affordable rate,"an official statement said here.

The cabinet also approved the Memorandum of Association and the Article of the Association of the new company, to be formed by the Kerala State IT Infrastructure Limited, the Kerala State Electricity Board and the state government.

The project also aims at providing various government services through mobile phone and online without any interruption, it said.

The Kerala State IT Infrastructure Limited has been asked to go ahead with the tender proceedings for the implementation of the project till the company is formed.

This was to ensure no delay in implementing the ambitious initiative, the statement said, adding that the tender proceedings in this regard would begin soon.