MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATION

Broadband access to all villages by 2022
Laying of incremental 30 lakhs route km of Optical Fiber Cable and increase in tower density from 0.42 to 1.0 tower per thousand of population by 2024
Creation of a digital fiber map of the Digital Communications network and infrastructure, including Optical Fiber Cables and Towers
Significantly improve quality of services for mobile and internet
Develop a Broadband Readiness Index (BRI)
Address policy and regulatory changes required to accelerate the expansion and creation of digital infrastructure and services
It gives emphasis on the three principles of universality, affordability and quality
Vision: to fast track growth of digital communications infrastructure, bridge the digital divide, facilitate digital empowerment and inclusion and provide affordable and universal access of broadband for all.
Funding: Investment of USD 100 billion (Rs 7 Lakh Crore) will come from different stakeholders like government and industry, including Rs 70,000 crore (10%) from Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF).
USOF is a statutory fund (under Indian Telegraph (Amend.) Act, 2003) and is utilized exclusively for meeting Universal Service Obligation i.e. ensuring that un/underserved rural areas are effectively connected through a reliable and ubiquitous telecommunications network.

To provide broadband connectivity to Gram Panchayats (GP) through optical fibre network.
• It aims to provide a minimum bandwidth of 100 Mbps to each of the 2.5 lakhs GPs.
• It will facilitate delivery of e-governance, e-health, e-education, e-banking, public internet access, G2C, B2B, P2P, B2C etc., weather, agricultural and other services to rural India.
• It is the new brand name of NOFN (National Optic Fibre Network) which is being implemented in three phases.

o First phase – Envisaged to provide one lakh gram panchayats with broadband connectivity by laying underground optic fibre cable lines with deadline of 31st December 2017, which was achieved.
o Second Phase – It will provide connectivity to all 2,50,000 Panchayats using an optimal miz of underground fibre, fibre over powerlines, radio and satellite media to be completed by March 2019.
o Third Phase – It will be implemented from 2019 to 2023 during which state-of-the-art, future-proof network, including fiber between districts and blocks, with ring topology would be created.

• It is being implemented by a special purpose vehicle named Bharat Broadband Network Ltd. set up under Companies Act.
• It is being funded by the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF).

To supplement telecom skilled manpower creation for the growth of telecom sector and to generate livelihood for the youth of the nation.
• In pilot phase, it will train 10,000 people from UP, MP, Bihar, Odisha, Punjab and Haryana and train 10,000 people in 1st phase on a pilot basis.
• DoT plans to establish more than 1,000 Sanchar Kaushal Vikas Pratisthan which will train youth according to the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) and local needs of the telecom sector.
• The government will also reward people doing innovative work in the telecom space.

• It is a web portal for information sharing on Mobile Towers and Electromagnetic frequency (EMF) Emission Compliance.
• It has been developed in Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode by Department of Telecommunications with Industry.
• Indian norms had prescribed 10 times stricter limits for radiation emission in comparison to global standards.
• Any person can request for EMF emission measurement at a location.

• It aims to improve the quality of service and achieve “financial inclusion” of un-banked rural population.
• As part of IT modernization project, it intends to provide a low power technology solution to each Branch Postmaster (BPM) which will enable 1.29 Rural Lakhs Branch Post Offices (BOs).
• Recently, DARPAN-PLI application was launched for seamless collection of premium for Postal Life Insurance (PLI) and Rural Postal Life Insurance (RPLI) policies.

• It aims to provide affordable life insurance services to people living in rural areas of the country through the postal network.
• It will identify at least one village (having a minimum of 100 households) in each of the revenue districts of the country and cover all households with a minimum of one RPLI (Rural Postal Life Insurance) policy.
• All villages under Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana would also be covered under the scheme to turn them into Sampoorna Beema Gram.

• SPARSH stands for Scholarship for Promotion of Aptitude & Research in Stamps as a Hobby.
• It is a pan India scheme launched by the government to increase the collection and study of postal stamps.
• It would award annual scholarship of INR 6000 to children of Standard VI to IX having good academic record and also pursuing Philately as a hobby through a competitive selection process in all postal circles.

• Cool EMS (Express Mail Service) is one-way service from Japan to India which allows customers in India to import Japanese food items for personal use which is allowed under Indian regulations.
• Initially, it will be available in Delhi only. Food items will be carried by Japan Post in special cool boxes containing refrigerant to preserve the quality of the food items.

Shruti