Budget 2019: After missing deadlines, government hopes to fast-track BharatNet via USOF

Budget 2019: The Union Budget 2019 reinforced a slew of central schemes that Modi government inaugurated in its first term. In her maiden budget presented during the government’s second term, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman shared some important data for the flagship BharatNet project, which provides a roadmap of how Modi government will connect every gram panchayat in the country.

The BharatNet project, previously known as National Optic Fibre Network (NOFN), has so far managed to stay afloat even after missing several deadlines. Sitharaman said that the government will employ Universal Service Obligation Fund, or USOF, to speed up the BharatNet project to connect 2.5 lakh village blocks in the country with a high-speed optical fibre network that will be used to deliver citizen services.