1,000 gram panchayats to get wifi connectivity: Manish Tewari

LUDHIANA: Union Minister Manish Tewari said that about 1,000 gram panchayats of Ludhiana district will soon be getting wifi connectivity under the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited's National Optical Fibre Network programme.

The Information and Broadcasting Minister said it was a countrywide programme in which over 2 lakh gram panchayats will be provided wifi connectivity and Ludhiana has also been included in the first phase of the project.

The project will provide immediate and fast internet connectivity to the people living in the villages, he said in a statement here.

Tewari pointed out that since the private operators were not prepared to provide the internet services in the villages as it did not generate them much revenue, the Union Government stepped in to provide this facility to the people there.

He said, given the dependence on internet, which has become a necessity it was one of his priorities to ensure that the gram panchayats are connected through the worldwide web (internet) with rest of the world.

Besides, he added, it will be beneficial for the people whose relatives are living abroad.