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As many as 1,84,399 Gram Panchayats in the country have been made service-ready with broadband infrastructure under <keyword id="2791195" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="bharatnet" source="Orion">BharatNet</keyword>, as on November 28, 2022, <keyword id="6354721" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="parliament" source="Orion">Parliament</keyword> was informed on Wednesday. BharatNet project is being implemented in all the Gram Panchayats (GPs) and villages of the country to provide high-speed internet and broadband, Minister of State for Communications Devusinh Chauhan said in a written reply in <keyword id="6355187" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="lok-sabha" source="Orion">Lok Sabha</keyword>. "As on 28.11.2022, a total of 1,84,399 Gram Panchayats have been made service ready in the country with broadband infrastructure under BharatNet," the minister said in reply to a question on high speed internet. To another question on Wi-Fi hotspots, the minister mentioned that the scope of BharatNet project has recently been extended up to all inhabited villages beyond GPs. "Under this project, last mile connectivity is provided through Fibre to the <keyword id="6363870" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="home" source="Orion">Home</keyword> connections, Wi-Fi Access Points, internet facility to Government institutions among others. As on date Wi-Fi access points have been installed in 1,04,664 GPs," Chauhan informed. The proliferation of broadband through public Wi-Fi networks is also being done through the Prime Minister Wireless Access Network Interface (PM-WANI) framework. To another question, the minister said applications were invited from June 4, 2021 to July 3, 2021, under the <keyword id="8870884" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="production-linked-incentive" source="Orion">Production Linked Incentive</keyword> (PLI) Scheme to promote telecom and networking products. He said that 31 eligible applications were approved on October 14, 2021. Further, for including design-led manufacturing, the scheme guidelines were amended on June 20, 2022. "Applications were invited from June 21, 2022 to August 25,2022. 14 existing companies continued with existing sanctioned incentives," Chauhan said. There were 32 applications and 28 eligible applications were approved on October 31, 2022. Based on their eligibility, presently there are total 42 companies approved under PLI scheme," he said. Of 42 companies, 17 firms are with design-led manufacturing products. "These 42 companies have committed investment of Rs 4,115 crore, additional sales of Rs 2.45 lakh crore and will create employment of more than 44,000 over the scheme period," he said. The number of applicants indicate the response from industry for making India a global manufacturing hub for telecom and networking products, he pointed out. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/3-cases-of-omicron-subvariant-bf-7-driving-chinas-covid-surge-detected-in-india/articleshow/96397261.cms">3 cases of Omicron subvariant BF.7, driving China's Covid surge, detected in India</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/soon-no-need-to-take-out-electronic-devices-from-hand-baggage-for-scanning-at-airports/articleshow/96401171.cms">Soon, no need to take out electronic devices from hand baggage for scanning at airports</a>

1.84 lakh Gram Panchayats service-ready with broadband infra under BharatNet: Govt

<ul><li>The Indian government has expanded the <keyword id="2791195" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="BharatNet">BharatNet</keyword> optical fibre broadband project.</li><li>The government has now allowed the private sector to participate in the fibre broadband rollout.</li><li>The BharatNet project is aimed at covering nearly 6 lakh villages in 1,000 days from August 15, 2020.</li></ul>The Indian government, on Wednesday (June 30), announced the expansion of the BharatNet optical fibre broadband project to 16 states in the country. It has looped in the private sector to boost the speed of execution and also generate revenue from the service. The government has set aside ₹19,041 crores in the form of viability gap funding, which means the government will provide funding support for any part of the project, if and when needed. Over 3.6 lakh villages over 16 states of the country will be covered under the expanded BharatNet programme, which was first launched in 2011. In a press conference, on Wednesday, <keyword id="3658" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword>’s Information Technology (IT) Minister <keyword id="6354886" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ravi-Shankar-Prasad">Ravi Shankar Prasad</keyword> announced the new developments regarding the Indian government’s optical fibre broadband project. The programme has been divided into 9 packages, spread across various aspects of the project and no one company will be allowed to have more than 4 packages. This, <keyword id="6356623" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="prasad">Prasad</keyword> said, has been done to ensure there is no monopoly risk. The minister also added that the overall cost over 30 years – including operational and capital expenditure – would amount to ₹95,000 to ₹1 lakh crore. By going the public-private-partnership (PPP) route, the government is spending only ₹19,000 crore, Prasad added. Prasad highlighted the need for internet connectivity for accessing healthcare, education and e-governance services. Beyond these essential services, he also underlined that this would enable access to entertainment services, now that over-the-top (OTT) platforms are exploding in popularity. As of September, 2020, nearly 1.5 lakh kilometres of optical fibre cable had been laid under the BharatNet Phase 2, covering over 23,000 gram panchayats. The programme envisages connecting nearly 6 lakh villages across India in 1,000 days, starting August 15, 2020. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/check-out-airtel-and-reliance-jio-low-cost-plans-free-recharge-packs-and-covid-benefits/articleshow/82703621.cms">Airtel, Reliance Jio announce free recharge packs and benefits for subscribers – check out which telco has the best offers</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/airtels-india-business-is-back-in-the-black-after-a-very-long-time/articleshow/82709100.cms">Airtel's India business is back in the black after a very long time</a>

BharatNet, India’s public broadband network, expansion project will now be open to private players

(Photo Source : Wikimedia.org) <ul><li>The Indian government’s ‘<keyword id="6493830" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="broadband-for-all">Broadband for all</keyword>’ under ‘<keyword id="1929810" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Digital-India">Digital India</keyword>’ scheme has reportedly equipped only 2.5% of 250,000 village councils that the government had originally targeted. </li><li>The government previously announced that 110,000 village councils had received optical fibre connectivity, laying cable fibre. </li><li>India’s Ministry of Communication in October 2018 said that they had already achieved 50% of its target. </li></ul>Four years after the Indian government launched its ambitious ‘Digital India’ plan, only 5,010 village councils or less than 3% of the targeted villages have been found to have a functioning commercial broadband, The Wire <a href="https://thewire.in/government/narendra-modi-government-digital-india-village-broadband-connections">reported</a> citing internal government data seen by the publication. In 2014, the Indian government infused over ₹110 billion into its ‘Digital India,’ which included plans to bring broadband to as many as 250,000 village councils by the end of 2016, according to the government’s ‘Digital India’ <a href="http://digitalindia.gov.in/content/broadband-highways">website</a>. The findings raise questions on the success of one of the key programs of the <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> government. Earlier this year, the government<a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/tech-news-technology/under-bharatnet-1-1-lakh-gram-panchayats-given-optical-fibre-connectivity-govt-5056162/"> announced</a> that it has already provided optical fibre connectivity to over 110,000 village councils. However, the high number of fibre optical cables has little meaning unless there is an increase in number of broadband connections used by people, The Wire reported <a href="https://thewire.in/government/narendra-modi-government-digital-india-village-broadband-connections">citing</a> K.N Gupta. India’s Ministry of Communication in October 2018 <a href="http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=184186">claimed</a> that they had already achieved 50% of its target and aimed to reach the full target of 250,000 by March 2019. To be sure, the number of free test connections provided in rural India is much higher than actual broadband connections, at 56,700, according to the report. However, these test connections are functional only for a short period of six months.

Less than 3% of rural councils in India have functional commercial broadband despite government’s ‘Digital India’ push: Report

New Delhi, Dec 27 () Bharat Broadband Nigam Limited, a state-run infrastructure firm that is setting up optical fibre network under BharatNet Project, has paid around Rs 770 crore in advance to BSNL to help the telecom firm clear dues of vendors involved in the project.
 The debt-ridden state-run telecom firm had requested BBNL to pay Rs 1,033 crore earlier this month to clear the dues of vendors engaged in BharatNet project. 
 Bharat Broadband Nigam Limited (BBNL) had allocated around 70 per cent of rural broadband network roll-out work to BSNL. 
 "BSNL had requested payment of Rs 1,033 crore out of which around Rs 770 crore has been cleared by BBNL," a government official told . 
 BSNL had requested payment of Rs 1,033 crore from BBNL as an advance to clear the pending liabilities of UP East and MP Circles of Rs 716 crore along with telecom factory liabilities of Rs 40 crore earlier this month. 
 PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry telecom committee chairman Sandeep Aggarwal said that payment being released by BSNL will help in reviving thousands of vendors who had closed down their operations due to long payment overdues of more than 12 months.
"Many vendors who were still operating had notices from their suppliers to take them to NCLT and their bankers to declare them NPA," Aggarwal said in a letter dated December 26, 2019 to BSNL CMD PK Purwar.
He said that most of the vendors will be getting payment for invoices raised in December and some for the invoice raised in March 2019. 
"We request that all the dues of MSME companies be cleared within 45 days," Aggarwal said. PRS PRS MR
MR

BSNL gets Rs 770 cr from BBNL to clear BharatNet vendor dues

New Delhi, Feb 1 () The government on Saturday said Rs 6,000 crore will be allocated for the BharatNet programme in 2020-21 to further enhance broadband connectivity in rural areas.
 With focus on new economy models based on new-age technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT), the government also intends to bring out a policy to enable private sector to build data centre parks throughout the country, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said while presenting the Union Budget for 2020-21.
 "Our vision is that all public institutions at the gram panchayat level such as anganwadis, health and wellness centres, government schools, PDS outlets, post offices and police stations -- all will be provided digital connectivity. The fibre to the home (FTTH) connection through BharatNet will link 100,000 gram panchayats this year itself," she said.
 It is therefore proposed to provide Rs 6,000 crore to BharatNet program in 2020-21, she added.
 The finance minister noted that the new economy is based on innovations that disrupt established business models.
 "AI, IoT, 3D printing, drones, data storage, quantum computing etc are all re-writing world economic order. India has already embraced a new paradigm such as sharing economy with aggregator platforms displacing conventional businesses," she said.
 Noting that government has harnessed new technologies to enable direct benefit transfers and financial inclusions on a scale like never before, she said analytics, fintech and IoT are changing life.
 "It is now a cliche that data is the new oil...To take advantage of this, I propose to bring out soon a policy to enable private sector to build data centre parks throughout the country," Sitharaman said. PRS SR ABM

BharatNet gets Rs 6,000 cr allocation in Budget, new policy on data centre parks on anvil

<ul><li>Shares of <keyword id="1061730" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Himachal-Futuristic-Communications">Himachal Futuristic Communications</keyword> have surged significantly by 497% from March 2020.</li><li>The largest provider of WiFi solutions says the disruptions caused by COVID-19 pandemic have increased the demand for home and industrial internet of things (IoT) devices and applications.</li><li>HFCL’s profit after tax grew to ₹90.69 crore in June quarter as compared to ₹21.34 crore in corresponding quarter last year. </li></ul>While the pandemic slowed business for sectors like aviation, automobile, and hospitality, some sectors related to information technology enjoyed a boost due to the digital transformation demand. Himachal Futuristic Communications (HFCL) is one such company that benefited enormously from the heightened demand for internet devices. The technology enterprise company manufactures high-end transmission and access equipment, optical fibre and optical fibre cables used in WiFi portals and creating communication networks for telecom service providers, railways, defence, and smart city and surveillance. In fact, it is one of the largest providers of WiFi solutions. Also, the company is likely to be a big player in 5G telecom services. The disruptions caused by the pandemic have increased the demand for home and industrial internet of things devices and applications, said the company in an investor presentation. The company has already shipped 1.5 lakh units of wi-fi and ultra broadband radio to leading telecom service providers in FY21. In fact, under Bharat Net phase II project, wi-fi, infrastructure, electronics and optic networks brings out an ₹40,000 crore opportunity for the company <div type="image" title="HFCL profit revenue" height="900" width="1200" msid="84470091" hostid="261"></div> The company serves technological equipment and services to Reliance Jio, Tata, Airtel, Vodafone, Nokia, BSNL, Larsen &amp; Toubro, Bharat Petroleum, Indian Oil and many more. It has also been working with the government under the Prime Minister WiFi Access Network Interface (PM-WANI) project to provide internet access to every nook and corner of the country. “Initiative by Indian government like BharatNet, which is the world's largest optical fiber-based rural broadband connectivity project, growing usage of wifi connection in home segment, provision of production linked incentive scheme (PLI) by the government, approval of 5G spectrum plans has amplified the company’s operations,” said Mahendra Nahata, managing director of HFCL in a financial report statement. <div type="image" title="HFCL stock" height="900" width="1200" msid="84470137" hostid="261"></div> At 2:52 p.m., the stock was trading 2% higher at ₹ 80.40. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/angel-broking-shares-surge-as-rising-awareness-among-investors-turns-in-favour-of-the-stock-broker/articleshow/84469007.cms">Angel Broking shares surge 20% as rising awareness among investors turns in favour of the stock broker </a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/tatva-chintan-pharma-chem-ipo-should-you-subscribe-to-the-ipo-check-out-analysts-review/articleshow/84464187.cms">Tatva Chintan Pharma Chem IPO -- Should you subscribe? Here’s what analysts are saying </a>

An investment of ₹10,000 in HFCL stock in March last year is worth ₹60,000 now

When the government launched the Digital India mandate, its dual goals were to create a digitally empowered society, where citizens have access to information at their fingertips, and to transform India into a knowledge economy. With over a billion mobile phone subscribers leapfrogging brick-and-mortar access points to use the mobile as a gateway for basic e-governance related information, infotainment, online shopping, consumption devices have gone from luxury to utility. While this creates a concrete base for knowledge economy, by familiarizing citizens with <keyword id="6355118" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="technology">technology</keyword>, it cannot be the sole catalyst for transforming India to Digital India. 
 As an initial step to making local technology more competitive and relevant, the <keyword id="6360189" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Union-Budget">Union Budget</keyword> 2017-18 announced capital investments in electronic manufacturing clusters, focused on mobile phones, to spur the competiveness and innovative quotients of indigenous manufacturing. However, in a country that aspires to become a knowledge economy, mobile devices will be but a gateway for access to technology. 
 
Till date, the government has done a commendable job of taking its services to citizens through the mobile, but is that enough to equip citizens with the relevant skills to contribute to India’s knowledge economy? The UN Millennium Development Goals Indicators state that industrialized economies enjoy 63 times more access to personal computers (PCs) than developing countries. For most developed nations, the growth story has been an ‘and’ story, wherein they’ve had high levels of penetration of both PCs and mobile phones. Digital India’s story too will have to be an ‘and’ story, where consumption devices serve as a gateway to technology and PCs, owing to their larger screen size, physical keyboards and productive capabilities, are leveraged as a cornerstone for productivity and development. 
 
An analysis done by Kantar IMRB and the Indian School of Business shows that 54% citizens in non-urban India prefer a PC over a smartphone for education, while increased job opportunities remains one of the key reasons for non-owners of PCs to consider purchasing one. 
 
Additionally, owners of both smartphones and PCs are 7% more likely to use the latter to access healthcare, education, and career-related information. As current technology penetration in the country stagnates at a meagre 20% , the government must accelerate the process of making productive technology relevant here. The most critical step to foster a knowledge based economy is platform agnosticism, which entails the use of complementary devices, including mobiles and PCs, to plug gaps in development of skill, digital literacy, and content creation. 
 
Besides the device itself, several factors will play a crucial role in making this happen. The thrust to digitization with the extension of the Optical Fibre Communication (OFC) network, and improved access to development e-services under the BharatNet and Digigaon initiatives outlined in the Budget, will give a fillip to the Digital Villages that we have long envisioned. Offering free WiFi access and high-speed broadband connectivity will lay the foundations for the adoption of productive devices. 
 
Although local brands such as iBall are making computing affordable for consumers, price continues to remain a key deterrent to adoption. 
 To address this constraint, policy intervention is crucial to subsidize the costs of domestic PC manufacturing by extending customs duty benefits and capital investments to a build a holistic, robust electronic manufacturing and design sector. This will have a positive effect in the long term: it will not only trigger innovations in design customized to local needs, but it will sharpen the prongs of the government’s development trident: Make in India, <keyword id="6569577" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Skill-India">Skill India</keyword>, and Digital India. 
 
Classic gestalt theory follows that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts; this could not be truer for Digital India today. Projected to be the most populated country in the world by 2022 , and already possessing the largest demographic dividend, India presents great opportunities in terms of economic development. 
 
However, to become a leader of R&amp;D and IP demands the skills and knowledge to be differentiated in the global market. We must aim to become a nation with knowledge as a backbone, for which the government must adopt and implement technology policies that enable citizens with the tools to move beyond content consumption, and toward content creation. And while the government will play the key role in setting policies, industry must collaborate to execute that vision, and local technology evangelists will help address citizens’ initial inhibitions and fears associated with the use of what are perceived as being complex devices. 
 
 (This article is authored by Debjani Ghosh, Managing Director, and Vice President, Sales &amp; Marketing Group, <keyword id="28115" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Intel">Intel</keyword> South Asia)

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1.84 lakh Gram Panchayats service-ready with broadband infra under BharatNet: Govt

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BSNL gets Rs 770 cr from BBNL to clear BharatNet vendor dues

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