Free WiFi to all villages connected via BharatNet till March 2020: Ravi Shankar Prasad

Rewari: Common service centers will provide free internet to individuals and institutions through BharatNet till March of next year, Union minister for electronics and IT, Ravi Shankar Prasad announced on Wednesday.

“We have already connected 1.3 lakh gram panchayats through Bharatnet…Our target is to take this to 2.5 lakh Panchayats. To promote utilisation of Bharatnet services we will provide WiFi free in all villages connected through Bharat net till March 2020,” said Prasad while inaugurating Digital Village Gurawara in Rewari.

Currently, CSCs which have a network of 3,60,000 centres have got permission to manage BharatNet’s last mile deployment in 1,20,000 panchayats. This means that in the panchayats where BharatNet — countrywide optical fibre network — has reached, the CSC will be responsible for connecting it to the institutions such as schools and primary health centers have in the village by extending the necessary fibre infrastructure. It will also enable residents to access the high speed broadband either through wi-fi or fibre connectivity.