Digital Service and rural development in India
Today, apart from lack of internet access in the country especially in parts of Uttar Pradesh, people are not able to use online services such as Latest Lucknow News. Lack of smartphones, lack of mobile towers in remote areas of the country, limited availability of broadband in the country are reasons. In such a situation, it is more challenging to materialize the dream of 100 percent digitization in the country.
The scheme launched as National Optical Fiber Network (NOFN) in the year 2011 was recognized in the year 2014 as BharatNet. But this plan could not be materialized. However, in order to make the scheme a success, the Telecom Ministry formed a company called Bharat Broadband Network (BBNL) in 2012. The job of this company was to manage, establish, and operate the BharatNet plan. At that time the goal of this scheme was to connect more than 2.5 lakh gram panchayats across the country. Now the government wants to empower the villagers by expanding this scheme.
Addressing the nation on August 15, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had talked about connecting six lakh villages with an optical fiber network within a thousand days. This means that broadband access will be provided in rural areas through optical fiber during this period. Under this, each gram panchayat will be provided with a bandwidth of at least one hundred megabytes per second.
This will make it easier to start online services in every panchayat. The biggest advantage of connecting villages with optical fiber networks will be that every villager will have access to Uttar Pradesh News Live for better e-governance, e-commerce, e-education, e-banking, e-health services.
Today electricity is available in most rural areas. Therefore, it is easy to implement this scheme. The condition and direction of education have changed radically due to the Corona Pandemic. Children of villages are also getting online education today. After the release of the Corona Pandemic, smart schools can be started in schools in villages with the help of an optical fiber network.
The Union Cabinet had recommended in January this year to implement the second phase of the optical fiber network scheme. The total budget of this scheme is Rs 42,068 crore, out of which Rs 18,792 crore will be spent in the second phase. At present, eight states have decided to implement the scheme, while states with complex geographical regions will implement satellite-based models. The second phase was planned based on the report of the NOFN panel in 2015, Which will be embodied by the government, private sector, and public sector undertakings. In this, people like optical fiber, radio, and satellite should be used to connect people to the Internet. Apart from this, Wi-Fi technology will be resorted to ensure the reach of the last phase, so that the convenience of the internet can be found smoothly everywhere at home and office.
There is no doubt that the realization of the NOFN scheme will increase the demand for data. This will also help in the development of agro-based industries in the rural area, as it will facilitate connectivity between farmers and industrial owners. According to one estimate, there may be a big jump in data consumption in the next two-three years. Data consumption in rural areas of India has more than doubled during the Corona epidemic. This round of growth is going to continue. India's total data consumption is projected to double by the year 2025 and monthly consumption per consumer of data is estimated to reach 25 GB.
With the increasing trend of villagers towards digitization, they will be able to increase their business with Latest Today News. The completion of information and education in rural India will create more employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for the villagers, which will open the way for the economic growth of rural areas. According to data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), by May this year, the number of broadband subscribers across the country had reached 68.37 crores. Five major service providers, including the state-owned telecom company Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), hold 98.93 percent of the market. India also has the substantial domestic capacity to manufacture optical fiber, but Indian companies are dependent on foreign companies for 4G equipment. However, Indian companies are confident that they can achieve the capability of producing 4G devices in the next two years.
The international body Mary Meeker released a report on Internet usage in 2019, according to which India is the most used Internet after China. America ranks third in this case. The report states that around 3.8 billion people worldwide are using the Internet. According to the April data of this year, China has thirty-five million Internet users, while in the US, this number is around 300 million. India also ranks second in terms of using the online market.
China occupies the first place. This is the case when Internet penetration in India is only between forty percent of the population. Internet penetration in China is between sixty-one percent of the population, while in the US it is eighty percent. Internet penetration in the metros of India is between sixty-five percent of the population, while the number of active internet users is only thirty-three percent of the total population. Active Internet users are those who use the Internet at least once a month.
In the global context, India accounts for twelve percent of the total internet users in the world, a big reason being that private companies are providing mobile data free of cost to consumers first and then at a cheaper rate. According to a report released in November 2019 by the Internet and Mobile Association of India and Nielsen, there were approximately 23 million Internet, active consumers, in rural areas of India, In the remaining cities, the number of active internet users is 21 million. The number of people using the Internet is very small compared to the total population of India. But this number has been increasing for the last five years.
In the remaining cities, the number of active internet users is 21 million. The number of people using the Internet is very small compared to the total population of India. But this number has been increasing for the last five years.
The Corona epidemic has increased the importance of digitization in an unprecedented way. Today, people are doing banking transactions, shopping, consulting doctors,s, etc. through video calls. In such a situation, if the plan to connect rural areas with optical fiber network is successful, then the doors of development in rural areas will be fully opened. "
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