Now Reading: Punjab upgrades only 23% gram panchayats under BharatNet
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Punjab upgrades only 23% gram panchayats under BharatNet
Only 3,069 of Punjab's 13,337 gram panchayats, about 23%, have been upgraded under the Amended BharatNet Programme approved in August 2023. The Centre told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday that delays stem…
The Story in Brief
Only 3,069 of Punjab's 13,337 gram panchayats, about 23%, have been upgraded under the Amended BharatNet Programme approved in August 2023. The Centre told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday that delays stem from Right of Way issues and frequent fibre cable damage. Ferozepur leads with 362 upgraded panchayats, while Faridkot and Malerkotla have upgraded none.
Separately, a parliamentary panel flagged that only 78,899 of about 2.64 lakh panchayats have operational BharatNet Points of Presence as of February 28. It sought a state-wise performance audit and a time-bound roadmap. Punjab was the first state to make its Phase-II panchayats service-ready in 2020, but the upgraded programme's progress remains uneven.
The Indian Opinion
The gap between Punjab's 5G rollout and rural broadband upgrades is stark. Claiming success after making panchayats service-ready in 2020 ignores that upgrading means little if connections do not reach homes. The Centre blames Right of Way, but the same hurdles existed for 5G towers. The test is the 9.48 lakh active Fibre-to-the-Home connections. Watch whether the promised portal and ring topology actually close the gap, or just move the paperwork.
Sources (2): hindustantimes.com, economictimes.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
