New Delhi— In a major step toward bridging the digital divide in rural India, the Central government and the Gujarat state government have joined forces to expand high-speed internet access to every village in the state under the revamped BharatNet programme.
The initiative, designed to deliver more than 98% service uptime, will ensure that even the most remote villages in Gujarat gain reliable internet connectivity—boosting education, healthcare, employment, and access to digital services.
A quadripartite agreement was signed on Tuesday in Gandhinagar between the Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN) of the Government of India, the Gujarat government, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), and Gujarat Fibre Grid Network Limited (GFGNL). Under this agreement, GFGNL will assume full responsibility for implementing BharatNet in Gujarat under the newly amended scheme.
This makes Gujarat the first among eight states to roll out the project under the state-led implementation model. The state has already secured in-principle approval for ₹5,631 crore to cover capital expenditure and 10 years of maintenance.
The goal is to provide high-speed, stable internet to all 14,654 gram panchayats and non-gram panchayat villages across Gujarat, laying the foundation for future-ready digital infrastructure. The network will facilitate more direct engagement between government departments and citizens, offering targeted services to farmers, women, students, and entrepreneurs.
The programme is also expected to drive innovation by bringing fibre connectivity to mobile towers, field offices, households, and financial institutions. This will enhance mobile signal quality, support real-time governance, expand broadband access in homes, and promote rural fintech and startup ecosystems.
Nationally, the Amended BharatNet Programme aims to connect 2.64 lakh gram panchayats and around 3.8 lakh non-gram panchayat villages via optical fiber. Approved by the Union Cabinet on August 4, 2023, the project carries a total investment of ₹1.39 lakh crore.
BSNL will serve as the overall project management agency, working with professional implementation partners under a “Design, Build, Operate, and Maintain” model. Each Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) connection will offer a minimum download speed of 25 Mbps.
Over the next five years, the programme is expected to benefit approximately 1.5 crore rural households, institutions, and enterprises, accelerating India’s digital transformation from the grassroots up. (Source: IANS)
