A coordination committee headed by the Telecom Secretary has been set-up by the government to ramp-up the National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN).The NOFN aims to provide broadband connectivity to two and a half lakh gram panchayats to facilitate launch of e-services and e-applications across the country.
The coordination committee will look into the requirements of various departments of the government to set up a pan-India broadband network which will offer government-to-citizen services up to panchayat level. It will also examine the needs of state governments for a pan-state broadband network.
The coordination committee will comprise secretaries from key government departments, and the chiefs of Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL) and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited as members. The administrator of the Universal Service Obligation Fund will be the convenor of the coordination committee.
The NOFN project will cost government Rs 200 billion. The government set up BBNL on February 25, 2012 to implement the project. The company will lay cable from the block level, to the gram panchayat level.
