AP CM launches Internet village programme

6,000 rural kiosks to be set up via self-help groups by December

Chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy launched the Rajiv Internet Village Programme which aims at connecting all the rural habitations with electronic delivery system of services within two years.

Around 6,000 rural kiosks will be set up through self-help groups by December, the chief minister said. The other broad components of the programme include computer literacy to at least one person in each family in rural areas and broadband connectivity up to villages by June 2006.

"The aim of the programme is to improve the quality of life of rural people by providing them with IT-enabled education, healthcare, and better governance. The technology should also enable the rural citizens to improve their agricultural yields, enhancing their income levels," the chief minister said.

According to J C Mohanty, principal secretary (IT), the government is planning to establish broadband networking across the state by connecting districts with 10 gigabits per second (GBPS), mandals with one GBPS and villages with 100 mega-bits per second (mbps) bandwidth by June 2006.