National Optic fibre network: Govt to rope in state govts.

The government is planning to rope in state governments, as well as private sector for faster execution of the national optic fibre network (NOFN), which will provide broadband connectivity to about 250,000 villages.

Communications and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has written to all the state chief ministers for their participation in the NOFN project.

A meeting of all the state secretaries and IT ministers has been called on Friday in Delhi to find a way forward for the involvement of state governments - financially and operationally, and work out the new model for execution of NOFN. State governments will get powers to rope in private sector at their end, according to people close to the development. The project, expected to be completed by December next year, is an important part of the government's Digital India programme.
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Earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had taken a review meeting. A report by a government set-up panel recommended greater autonomy, flexibility and roping in state governments and private sector for speedy implementation of the project. It also recommended renaming the project as 'Bharat-Net' with an outlay of Rs 72,000 crore and having a chairman from the private sector. The NOFN project was initially estimated to cost Rs 20,000 crore.

BS