1.19 lakh village blocks service-ready under BharatNet- I: BBNL CMD

DELHI: Centre’s ambitious BharatNet program, missing yet another March 2019 deadline, has been able to make 1.19 lakh gram panchayats or village blocks service-ready versus a target of 2.5 lakh blocks, according to a senior official.

“1.19 lakh gram panchayats have become service ready with 95% of the BharatNet-I has been completed so far,” Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL) chairman Sarvesh Singh told ETT, and added that the current focus is on infrastructure expansion.

BharaNet, a digital connectivity initiative originally launched under UPA-II government in 2011, aims to connect 2.5 lakh