Communications and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad Monday commissioned India's first hi-speed rural broadband network in Kerala's Idukki district, an official statement said. Speaking on the occasion, Prasad said the country was witnessing “ a new era of digital empowerment†and his government “ has firmly set its focus on the all round development and inclusive growth of the countryâ€. “NOFN (National Optical Fibre Network†project is a giant leap in order to bridge the digital divide in India by lining all gram panchayats through the common platform of optical fibre cable. I extend my complete support to this project and I am proud to be a part of this new digital journey in India's history,†the minister said. NOFN is set to link 600 million rural citizens of India across 2.5 lakh gram panchayats of India spread ovr 6,600 blocks and 631 districts through broadband optical fibre network. This tribal gram panchayat in Kerala is 34 kms away from the nearest town and has no road connectivity, electricity of piped water. “ As the most literate state in India, the people of Kerala look forward to the new economic development opportunities that NOFN has opened for the state, “ said Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.
