The Amended BharatNet Programme (ABP) is the redesigned version of BharatNet, approved in August 2023 with an outlay of about Rs 1.39 lakh crore, to bring reliable optical-fibre broadband to all 2.64 lakh gram panchayats and, on demand, to the remaining villages, with ring-based networks, ten years of maintenance and a state-led implementation option that Jharkhand has now adopted.
Context
- The Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN) signed an agreement with Jharkhand to implement the Amended BharatNet Programme under the state-led model.
- The Government of India approved Rs 1,684 crore for Jharkhand’s programme, covering 4,395 gram panchayats and demand-based connectivity to about 26,777 villages.
- Better connectivity is expected to support e-governance, online education, telemedicine and digital payments in rural Jharkhand.
BharatNet: The Background
- BharatNet (earlier the National Optical Fibre Network, 2011) aims to connect every gram panchayat with broadband; Phase 1 and Phase 2 laid fibre to about 2.1 lakh panchayats but connections were often down for lack of maintenance and last-mile networks.
- BSNL became the project management agency after BBNL was merged into it in 2022.
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What the Amended Programme Changes
- Approved: by the Union Cabinet on 4 August 2023, with an outlay of Rs 1,39,579 crore.
- Coverage: all 2.64 lakh gram panchayats plus about 3.8 lakh villages beyond the panchayats on a demand basis.
- Design: ring topology with IP-MPLS networks, so that a single cut does not black out a village; the existing linear network is upgraded and completed.
- Maintenance: operation and maintenance for 10 years built into the contracts, with service-level agreements.
- Last mile: the Udyami model – a village-level entrepreneur, often a BharatNet Udyami or a common service centre, provides fibre-to-the-home connections and shares revenue.
- Models: BSNL-led or state-led, where the state’s agency builds and runs the network with central funding through the Digital Bharat Nidhi (the renamed Universal Service Obligation Fund under the Telecommunications Act, 2023).
Why It Matters
- Rural broadband is the base for Digital India services, e-learning, telemedicine and PM-WANI public Wi-Fi.
- The state-led model uses the state’s own power and road networks and speeds up right-of-way approvals, a major cause of earlier delays.
Important Facts for Examsmost asked
- Amended BharatNet Programme approved 4 August 2023; outlay Rs 1,39,579 crore; target 2.64 lakh gram panchayats and villages on demand.
- Ring topology, IP-MPLS, 10-year O&M, Udyami last-mile model; BSNL as project management agency.
- Funded through the Digital Bharat Nidhi (formerly USOF) under the Telecommunications Act, 2023.
- Jharkhand: Rs 1,684 crore approved; 4,395 gram panchayats; about 26,777 villages; state-led model.
FAQs
What is the Digital Bharat Nidhi?
The fund created under the Telecommunications Act, 2023 in place of the Universal Service Obligation Fund, financed by a levy on telecom operators’ revenue, to support rural connectivity, research and pilot projects.
What is ring topology?
A network design in which each panchayat is connected in a loop, so traffic can flow the other way if one link fails – unlike the earlier linear design.
Why is BharatNet asked in bank exams?
It is a flagship Digital India infrastructure programme; the approval date, outlay, panchayat target and the Digital Bharat Nidhi are the usual questions.
