All state villages to get broadband connectivity

Pradeep Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 27

Haryana is set to log on to Modi Government’s Digital India Mission in a bid to take IT literacy to the grassroots level.

As a first step in this direction, 4,000 of Haryana’s 6,841 villages are set to get broadband connectivity through the National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) before September 30, 2015. The rest of the villages would get the broadband connectivity by March 31 next year.

Sources said project to connect all villages by broadband, which was part of the Broadband Highways project of the Digital India Mission, was another initiative by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar to provide all government services electronically to the state residents.

The state government has directed all DCs to extend full cooperation to the BSNL authorities in laying the fibre optic cables. “The achievements of the targets by the BSNL will be monitored by the offices of the Chief Secretary and the Chief Minister every month,” the sources said.

Going a step further, the state government has directed the PWD (B&R) and the Forest Departments to accord immediate permission to the BSNL for laying the NOFN. “In case, there is no tree cutting involved, permission should be given immediately. Meanwhile, the departments should decentralise the powers to issue permission to the field officers,” the state government directed.

Meanwhile, all government installations in villages such as schools, hospitals and offices would be connected with broadband under the NOFN project. The programme will be implemented in phases from the current year till 2018.

“The Digital India Mission is transformational in nature and would ensure that government services are available to citizens electronically. It will also bring in public accountability through mandated delivery of government services,” said the sources.

Yesterday, Agriculture Minister OP Dhankar launched the e-Panchayat Samvad scheme by sending an e-mail to all 6,244 village panchayats of the state to give a boost to the e-communication between the state government and the panchayats.