State-run companies laying cable at speed of 500km a month, much slower than 30,000km per month rate needed
New Delhi: The Rs.20,000 crore National Optical Fibre Network plan that aims to connect 250,000 gram panchayats (village councils) across the country with high-speed Internet access is likely to miss its first target of linking 100,000 gram panchayats by March.
The three state-run companies tasked with the job of laying optical fibre cable are progressing at the rate of 500km per month, much slower than the 30,000km per month rate needed to meet the government’s ambitious target of covering 100,000 villages, according to the minutes of a department of telecommunications (DoT) review meeting, headed by telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. A copy of the minutes of the meeting was reviewed by Mint.
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