Ministry of Communication Schemes in India

2019-01-29

It is an ambitious programme of department of telecommunication to provide network infrastructure with affordable broadband connectivity on a non-discriminatory basis to all households in the country.
It aimed to realize the vision of Digital India, in partnership with States and the Private Sector.
The programme, previously called as the National Optical Fibre Network, was approved in October 2011.
It is implemented in three phases

First phase – providing broadband connectivity to one lakh gram panchayats by 2017
Second Phase – providing broadband connectivity to 2 lakh gram panchayats by 2019
Third Phase – providing state-of-art network using fibers between districts and block with reduced redundancy by 2023.

Implementation will be done by the states, state agencies, private sector companies and central PSUs.
All the Service Providers like Telecom Service Providers (TSPs), ISPs, Cable TV operators etc. will be given non-discriminatory access to the National Optic Fibre Network and can launch various services in rural areas.
It is funded from Universal Service Obligation Fund, which will be its nodal agency.
Bharat Broadband Network, a SPV created under companies Act, mandated to create NOFN in India.

The fund was established in 2002 to be utilized for providing telegraph services across the country especially the rural and remote areas.
It receives funds from the Universal Service Levy (USL) of 5% charged from all the telecom operators on their gross revenue.
Funds are dispatched through a bidding process to an enterprise which works on providing tele services.

People in rural and remote areas of the country where ICT services are not available due to commercial non- viability on account of various combinations of reasons such as:
Sparse population
Remoteness of area
Absence of supporting infrastructure (power, road etc.)
Low income of inhabitants
Insurgency
Difficult terrain
It is here that USOF Administration steps in to provide subsidy support thereby incentivizing telecom service providers to venture forth and provide services to such target beneficiaries.

The aim is to give rural people affordable life insurances services.
Under the scheme, at least one village (having a minimum of 100 households) will be identified in each districts and provide with a minimum of one Rural Postal Life Insurance policy for each households.
Coverage of all households in the identified village is the primary objective of this scheme.
All villages under the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana will be brought under its ambit.

Scholarship for Promotion of Aptitude & Research in Stamps as a Hobby (SPARSH) is a pan India Scholarship programme to children of Standard VI to IX having good academic record and also pursuing Philately as a hobby.
The selection would be based on the evaluation of Project work on Philately & performance in Philately Quiz conducted by the Circles.

Digital Advancement of Rural Post Office for A New India (DARPAN) is aimed at realizing financial inclusion of un-banked rural population.
The Project shall increase the rural reach of the Department of Posts and enable Branch Post Offices to increase traffic of all financial remittances, savings accounts, Rural Postal Life Insurance, and Cash Certificates etc.
It intends to provide a low power technology solution to each branch postmaster to improve service delivery.
The application will also be used for the reimbursement of social security benefits such as MNREGS, old age pension and DBT.

It is a skill development scheme that will train rural youth to maintain mobile towers, repair optical fibres and fix other communication technologies across India.
Department of Telecommunication will train people through skill training centers to supplement the telecom skill manpower creation for the growth of telecom sector.
The scheme will be initially implemented in UP, Bihar, Odisha, Punjab and Haryana.
The skill training will be based on National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF).