Ranchi: In a major push to rural digital connectivity, the Centre and Jharkhand govt on Thursday signed the Project Implementation and Support Agreement for the Amended BharatNet Programme (ABP), or BharatNet Phase III, aimed at strengthening broadband infrastructure across the state.The agreement was signed between Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN), the Govt of Jharkhand and Jharkhand Digital Infrastructure Corporation Limited (JDICL) in Ranchi. DBN administrator Shyamal Mishra was present during the signing, while IT secretary Pooja Singhal and JDICL director Madhavi Mishra signed the agreement on behalf of the state govt.“The project would cover all 260 blocks, 4,395 gram panchayats and 26,777 non-panchayat villages across Jharkhand, significantly expanding broadband access in rural and underserved regions,” a statement from IPRD dept said.Under the programme, 4,387 existing gram panchayats will be upgraded to ring topology-based networks and eight new gram panchayats will be connected through the same architecture to improve network resilience and reliability. The project also envisages creation and upgradation of middle-mile infrastructure and establishment of a State Network Operations Centre (SNOC) in Jharkhand for monitoring and management of the network.A key component of the initiative is the provision of 4.39 lakh Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) connections over the next five years. High-speed broadband connectivity will also be extended to gram panchayats and non-GP villages based on demand. BSNL will provide project management consultancy support to JDICL for implementation of the programme.Officials said improved broadband connectivity is expected to strengthen access to e-governance services, education, healthcare and other digital platforms in rural areas. The enhanced network infrastructure will also enable wider delivery of citizen-centric services and improve digital inclusion across the state.The programme is being implemented as a collaborative effort between the Centre and the state govt with the objective of bridging the digital divide and improving access to digital public services in rural Jharkhand.
