Kerala Will Get Free Internet: Rs 1500 Cr Budget For Ensuring ‘Basic Human Right’ For 20 Lakh Households

Kerala has done it.

As per the promise made in 2017, Kerala Govt. has declared Internet as a Basic Human Right, and has declared that 20 lakh households under BPL (Below Poverty Line), will be provided free Internet.

How will this work out?

Free Internet In Kerala: Rs 1500 Crore Allocated

Present Kerala Govt., after coming to power in 2017, had announced all every BPL households in the state will be provided free Internet.

This was done, as the Govt. believed that the Internet is a basic human right, and everyone should be able to access it.

In order to implement this promise, Kerala Govt. has allocated a budget of Rs 1500 crore for K-Fon, their ambitious Internet connectivity scheme.

For this, the existing networks of Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) and the Kerala State IT Infrastructure Limited (KSITL) will be combined, and BPL families, along with schools, shelter homes and Govt. offices will be connected with high speed Internet.

While Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) has bagged the tender for this massive project, the budget of Rs 1548 crore will be arranged with the help of KIIFB, which is the investment arm of Kerala Govt.

KIIFB recently went global, as they listed their masala bonds in the London Stock Exchange.

How Will It Help The State

To start with, the target audience for this ambitious free Internet scheme will be the the families classified under Below Poverty Line or BPL.

There are 20 lakh BPL families in the state, who will be granted absolutely free internet.

Besides, those who cannot afford Internet, but are not BPL, will be provided with subsidized Internet connection.

This network will also connect schools and colleges, and every Govt. office in the state. Around 30,000 such locations will be now connected via high speed broadband.

Free Internet for all in Kerala will also help the state Govt’s initiatives to invite industries and entrepreneurs into the state, as now everyone will be connected via Internet, opening up new possibilities and portals.

We will keep you updated, as more details come in.