What is the objective of the BharatNet project?

Cabinet approves ₹1.39 lakh crore outlay for BharatNet project. It aims to provide last-mile connectivity to 6.4 lakh villages in India. Around 1.94 lakh villages already connected; rest to be connected in 2.5 years. BharatNet is a major rural telecom project covering all gram panchayats. It is being Implemented in phases by Bharat Broadband Network (BBNL). BBNL partners with village level entrepreneurs (VLEs) for connectivity. About BharatNet Project BharatNet, one of the biggest rural telecom projects in the world, implemented in a phased manner to all Gram Panchayats (approximately 2.5 lakh) in the country for providing non-discriminatory access to broadband connectivity to all the telecom service providers. Objective is to enable access providers like mobile operators, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), Cable TV operators, content providers to launch various services such as applications like e-health, e-education and e-governance in rural and remote India. The project was approved by Union Cabinet on 25.10.2011.