18. NATIONAL OPTICAL FIBRE NETWORK (NOFN)

♤ To accelerate the reach of connectivity and to enhance development and innovation at the grassroots, NOFN will provide optic-fiber based Broadband connectivity to 250,000 Panchayats in the country.

♤ The aim is to leverage this connectivity so as to improve service delivery with transparency & accountability and to provide a platform for collective solution building and knowledge sharing for local populations through relevant applications and an associated ecosystem.

♤ The Government of India is committed to spend Rs. 20,000 crore for implementing this project by Dec 2013.

♤ NOFN will ensure that Panchayats are equipped with not just broadband connections, but also with computers, software and people to create, organise, distribute and deliver relevant information and provide needs-based applications which could be developed by understanding local needs, context and applicability.

♤ Services such as birth certificate, death certificate, land records, police reports, school admissions, health records, court papers, government documentation, renewal of licenses, tax submissions, etc. can be facilitated through broadband connectivity.

♤ It will thus enrich G2C (Government to Citizen) and B2C (Business to Citizen) interactions leading to greater collaborations.