Speaking at the Express Adda in Mumbai, Prasad said, “We, who are in public life, should learn to enjoy humour, cartoon and fun. It aims to leverage the existing fibre optical network of Central utilities — BSNL, RailTel and Power Grid — and lay incremental fibre wherever necessary to bridge the connectivity gap between panchayats and blocks. On setting up payments bank by the Department of Posts, Prasad said at least fifty 50 national and international consortiums have shown interest in partnering with the postal department. The BharatNet project, earlier known as the National Optical Fibre Network, was initiated in 2011 and has already missed several deadlines. The government is planning to launch 650 branches of payments bank of the post by September 2017, which, according to the minister, will help in financial inclusion of those without bank accounts.

Source: Indian Express June 09, 2016 22:41 UTC