Bharat Net broadband project not utilised in many states: Telecom Secretary

Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan on Monday said most of the states have not utilised the infrastructure for **Bharat Net** broadband project. Speaking at a seminar on National Digital Communications Policy, Sundararajan, however, noted the Union government has invested heavily in the project. “If you look at the utilisation, I think Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Karnataka and Rajasthan are to be commended. Many states have done an outstanding job, particularly the ones that I mentioned. [caption id=“attachment_4987271” align=“alignnone” width=“1024”]  Representational image.[/caption] “But in all the remaining states…there is almost practically no utilisation,” she said at the seminar attended by representatives from states and Union Territories. A presentation by the official showed that the disparity in the number of Gram Panchayats where the infrastruture has been laid and the Panchayats where services have been used showed that the difference was highest in Uttar Pradesh. Out of the 27,919 Gram Panchayats in Uttar Pradesh connected through fibre cables, only 151 Panchayats have utilised the services, it showed. Karnataka was the best perfomer with 4,716 Panchayats out of the total fibre connected 6,110 Panchayats using the infrastructure.