{"id":34228,"date":"2024-12-24T19:27:11","date_gmt":"2024-12-24T13:57:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=34228"},"modified":"2024-12-24T19:27:12","modified_gmt":"2024-12-24T13:57:12","slug":"bharatnet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/24-12-2024\/bharatnet","title":{"rendered":"BharatNet: Bridging the Digital Divide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/ Governance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>BharatNet, has helped connect more than <strong>2.14 lakh <\/strong>gram panchayats by utilising optical fibre, radio, and satellite technologies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Background<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The government of India launched <strong>BharatNet in October 2011<\/strong>, under the <strong>Ministry of Communications.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is an ambitious project aimed at providing affordable high-speed internet access to every Gram Panchayat in the country.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>BharatNet operates as the world\u2019s largest rural broadband connectivity program.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Amended BharatNet 2023<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In 2023, the government approved the <strong>Amended BharatNet Program (ABP) <\/strong>at a cost of <strong>Rs. 1,39,579 crores.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The program provides for internet access by Optical Fibre (OF) connectivity to<strong> 2.64 lakh GPs in ring topology<\/strong> and also to provide connectivity to the remaining non-GP villages (approx. 3.8 lakhs) on demand basis.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The ABP is aiming at;\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Provision of optical fiber connectivity<\/strong> to non-GP villages on demand basis,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Provision for Operation and maintenance for 10 years<\/strong>, including monitoring of network uptime through Centralized Network Operating Centre (CNOC) and payment to Project Implementation Agency (PIA) as per Service Level Agreement (SLA),<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Provision of Power backup<\/strong> of adequate level at GPs and Blocks,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Provision of Remote Fibre Monitoring System (RFMS)<\/strong> at Block for fibre monitoring.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>DBN is a fund<\/strong> that aims to improve the quality and accessibility of telecommunications services in India.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It was established by the government of India as a replacement for the <strong>Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF).\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Working of BharatNet<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL), <\/strong>a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) was incorporated in 2012 for the execution of the project.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In 2016, the Telecom Commission approved to implement the project in three phases:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Phase I: <\/strong>Focused on laying optical fiber cables to connect <strong>1 lakh <\/strong>Gram Panchayats by utilizing existing infrastructure.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Phase II: <\/strong>Expanded the coverage to an <strong>additional 1.5 lakh<\/strong> Gram Panchayats using optical fiber, radio, and satellite technologies.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Phase III:<\/strong> Aims at future-proofing the network by integrating 5G technologies, increasing bandwidth capacity, and ensuring robust last-mile connectivity. This phase is ongoing, with a focus on improving accessibility and reliability.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Impact of BharatNet<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Digital Inclusion:<\/strong> The project has connected remote villages to high-speed internet, enabling access to e-governance services, online education, and telemedicine.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Initiatives like the <strong>Digital India program<\/strong> thrive on BharatNet\u2019s infrastructure.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Economic Opportunities:<\/strong> With internet access, rural communities can participate in digital commerce, access financial services, and explore entrepreneurial opportunities.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Education and Healthcare:<\/strong> BharatNet has enabled digital classrooms and telehealth services, bridging the resource gap in rural areas.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Empowering Local Governance: <\/strong>Gram Panchayats use BharatNet to implement e-governance projects, improving transparency, efficiency, and citizen engagement in public services.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>BharatNet holds the promise of transforming rural India into a digitally empowered society. It is a <strong>lifeline for millions of rural Indians<\/strong> aspiring to connect with opportunities beyond their immediate surroundings.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>With robust execution and sustained efforts, BharatNet will continue to bridge the digital divide and empower every corner of India with the transformative power of the internet.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pib.gov.in\/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2086701\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">PIB<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BharatNet, has helped connect more than 2.14 lakh gram panchayats by utilising optical fibre, radio, and satellite technologies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34228","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34228","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34228"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34228\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34229,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34228\/revisions\/34229"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34228"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34228"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34228"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}