In a boost to government’s Digital India mission, the central government has decided to provide free WiFi to all villages till March 2020 through the BharatNet broadband service. A digital Village Gurawara was inaugurated in Rewari in Haryana by Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on December 25.
Crux of the Matter
CSC e-Governance Services India Ltd is implementing the Digital Village initiative in rural and remote areas of the country.
48,000 villages and 1.3 Lakh gram panchayats have been already given Wi-fi access through Bharatnet.
As per a report by Indian Express a total of Rs.20,431 crores has been spent from the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) for connecting villages under BharatNet.
Common service centres act as access points for the delivery of digital services and will now also offer banking services. The number of CSCs in India has increased from about 60,000 in 2014 to 3.60 lakh in 2019.
Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “the target of the government is to convert at least 15% of villages to the digital village in the next four years. The process of empowering villages is on track and day is not far off when rural India will take the lead in shaping the dreams of the country”
Curiopedia
A DigiGaon or digital village was conceptualised as a connected village where citizens can avail various e-services of the central government, state governments and private players. These villages are projected to be change agents, promoting rural entrepreneurship and building rural capacities and livelihoods through community participation and collective action.
The digital village promotes a financially inclusive society by providing banking, insurance and pension services at the doorstep of citizens. In addition, the entire village is WiFi-enabled, so residents are digitally connected. Such villages are also equipped with an LED assembly unit, a sanitary napkin unit, a paper bag-making unit and a rural BPO to promote employment among the youth. More Info
Curated Coverage
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