Cabinet clears viability gap funds for BharatNet

The Union Cabinet on 30th June 2021 approved a viability gap funding support of up to ₹19,041 crore for the implementation of the BharatNet project through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model in 16 States.  The project will be extended to all inhabited villages beyond the gram panchayats in 16 States — Kerala, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.

About BharatNet
BharatNet is a government-owned telecom infrastructure project for the establishment, management, and operation of the National Optical Fibre Network for connectivity to all 250,000-gram panchayats in the country, covering nearly 625,000 villages.

Sources : PIB