The Tamil Nadu government, on Wednesday announced that they will be providing internet for over 3000 villages across the state. The entire plan is estimated to cost the government over Rs. 1800 crores.
The villages that have been pinpointed by the Tamil Nadu government span almost the entire state, meaning that increasing the internet coverage can be done with ease in the future. Once this plan is successful, it is only a matter of time until the entire Tamil Nadu population has easy access to a speedy internet.
The centre has approved of the plan and has granted them funds of Rs. 1815.31 crores. This plan will effectively add millions of people into the digital space, many of whom will be accessing the internet for the first ever time.
This project has to be planned meticulously and executed effectively to complete successfully and on time. Due to which, it has been split into four different packages named from A to D.
Currently work has commenced in packages C and D. Package C starts in the coastal city of Nagapattinam and makes it way west crossing multiple populated cities connecting the places like Thiruvarur, Karur and Thiruppur.
Package D is more focussed on providing internet to the often-neglected Southern parts of Tamil Nadu focussing on areas in around Kanyakumari, Ramanathapuram, Theni and so on.
With the use of optical fibres, the high-level internet infrastructure will support online education, telephone services, television connection and internet for everyone irrespective of income level at a very affordable rate.
Not only will this benefit individuals of the state, but this will even help institutions like public schools and other institutes of education, government offices and other local enterprises that struggle to pay for data packs. This will now also allow business to go online and create their own digital footprint. Businesses can really look to expand a lot now that they have constant connection to the rest of the world.
Currently, Tamil Nadu lags behind their neighbours – Kerala and Puducherry when it comes to government schools with an internet access. As of the most recent official data, only 18% of government schools have access to the internet which is an alarmingly low number. Puducherry is almost at 95% while Kerala will cross 90% by the end of the year. This means that Tamil Nadu is churning out millions of high school graduates who haven’t really used the internet. This initiative will be crucial in creating skilled labour from the state.