By OUR STAFF REPORTER
DEHRADUN, 11 Jul: Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat today informed that a project worth Rs 2,000 crores had been approved by the Union Government to provide high speed internet access to 65 blocks in 12 districts of the state. The network coverage would be extended to 5991 gram panchayats under 65 blocks of 12 districts of the state whereas this has already been done in Haridwar district, the CM said. He was addressing a press conference at the Media Centre at the Secretariat here. He said that this project was part of Bharat Net Phase-2 project. He thanked the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Minister of Information Technology and Telecommunications, Ravi Shankar Prasad for the approvals and the funds for the project.
The Chief Minister said that with this, Internet access would be provided in all the Gram Panchayats of the state and a new era of development would be started and the economy of rural areas would gain momentum. The project is funded by the Universal Services Obligation Fund under the Union Ministry of Telecommunications and the project is being implemented in two phases by Bharat Broad Band Network Limited.
The CM stated that the work of Bharat Net Phase-1 project in the state of Uttarakhand had been carried out by Bharat Broadband Network Limited itself through various institutions. In the first phase, 1865 gram panchayats of 25 blocks of 11 districts were to be added. The Chief Minister said that he had personally met the Union Telecom Minister Ravishankar Prasad and urged him to approve the Bharat Net Phase-2 project on priority basis for the state of Uttarakhand. Under the State Led Model for Bharat Net 2.0 Project for Uttarakhand had been approved by the Ministry of Telecommunications. The cost of Bharat Net Phase-2 project for the state would be about Rs 2000 crores, and its implementation would be done through ITDA.
The Chief Minister said that with the implementation of the said Bharat Net 2.0 project, people would have access to government services like e-governance, e-office, e-district, e-health, tele-medicine, e-education, e-banking, etc. The people of the state would get internet and other facilities, which would not only help them in becoming self-reliant, but also create many opportunities for self-employment. He added that through e-health, the people of the state sitting in remote villages would be able to get their treatment done directly by connecting with hospitals, while the students could study from home and get the facility of the banking without physically visiting the bank, while the farmers could be provided with useful information in respect of their crops. Small businessmen would also be able to do e-marketing by getting information about their business such as e-marketing, etc.
The Chief Minister claimed that the state government had done significant work in the field of information technology in Uttarakhand in the last 3 years. The first state data centre was constructed in the state, in which the data of all the departments could be protected in the state itself. A lot of progress had been made in the state in the field of drones. Every year it was not only successfully organizing two festivals, but students, etc., were also given training related to drones, in which they could get new employment opportunities. This was the first drone center built by any state government in the state he asserted. Disaster relief work would also be expedited during the time of disaster by drone. All districts, tehsils and blocks have been connected to the state headquarters through SWAN, wherein departmental review could now be done directly to the headquarters block or tehsil. The government aimed to extend the above facility to the Gram Panchayat level. Presently, video conferencing could also be conducted from the headquarters to the block level by sitting.
The e-cabinet service has been implemented by the e-cabinet government, making paperless the meetings of the cabinet. E-office and e-collectorate have started the work of e-office of about 20 departments of the secretariat of the state headquarters and it has been decided to implement the office, e-collectorate up to district level soon. And in Dehradun district, it had also been inaugurated so that no person would be required to visit any office and would be able to find where his files were pending and for how long. About 82 facilities were being provided to citizens through e-district, and the target is to provide all civic facilities soon. Through this, any person could apply for caste certificate, income certificate, social welfare etc.
In the press conference, former BJP metropolitan President Vinay Goyal, IT Advisor to Chief Minister Ravindra Dutt, Director ITDA Amit Sinha, Additional Secretary IT Vijay Kumar Yadav, Finance Controller IT Manish Upreti were present.
