7.5 lakh km cable proposed to be laid in 3.5 years to provide broadband in every village:GoI

New Delhi, 30 November 2014

The Minister for Communications & IT Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad has said that seven and half lakh kilometres of cable is proposed to be laid over next three and half years to provide broadband in every village of the country.

Interacting with a few contributors of ideas for ‘Digital India’ project in New Delhi last evening, he said this project aims at digital empowerment of people and will be a game changer.

He said various certificates as needed by poor people can be reached to them in their villages itself. Various other practical benefits will also be available to them through internet which might be global but will have to be locally of benefit.

He said, India now has about 30 crore internet users and is crossing the number of internet users even in the US which is the second largest internet users in the world now after China.

The minister pointed out that there is a need to sensitise people about the power of technology. He pointed out that while in urban India mobile connectivity is 146% , it is only about 46% in rural areas. Such an urban- rural divide is sought to be bridged now the minister said.

Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad said electronic manufacturing is also sought to be promoted in a big way in the country.

Secretary, Department of Electronics & Information Technology Shri Ram Sewak Sharma, and other senior officials of the ministry also participated in the discussions.