'Most panchayats in Bihar connected with high-speed broadband': Ravi Shankar Prasad

All 8,743 panchayats in Bihar, except a few, have been connected with the high-speed broadband network under BharatNet, Union IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Tuesday.

Speaking at a programme, he said only 10-12 panchayats could not be connected due to their location in forest areas.

There were 4.2 crore mobile phone users in 2014-15 in Bihar which has increased to 6.21 crore in August this year, while the number of internet users was 80 lakh in 2014-15 but now it has increased to 3.93 crore, he said.

Prasad said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi believes in promoting and building both the physical and digital infrastructure of the country.

There are around 35,000 Common Service Centres (CSC) in the state that along with the postal service have delivered hundreds of crores of rupees to the poor people during the lockdown, the minister added.

Prasad was speaking at a function where Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid foundation stones for seven urban infrastructure projects worth Rs 541 crore in the poll- bound state via video conference.

Several schemes and projects have been undertaken to build urban infrastructure in Bihar with the prime minister unveiling various schemes, he said.

The prime minister has been saying that development of every region of the country is necessary for inclusive growth and it includes eastern India and the Northeast and Bihar, which is one of the big states in the East, he said, mentioning the Rs 1.25 lakh crore package for the state and development of rail infrastructure.

Prasad, who represents the Patna Sahib Lok Sabha constituency, expressed happiness on the inauguration of two Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) -- one in Beur and another in Karmalichak in the state capital.

Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi said that the state government has taken a decision that treated sewage water will not be discharged in rivers, rather it will be used for irrigation purposes and a detailed plan is being worked out.

Effluent treatment plants (ETPs) have been installed in 57 industrial units located along Ganga, he said, adding that zero effluent is being discharged in the river by such units.

Stating that Bihar has received Rs 2,074 crore under the 'Namami Gange' project, Sushil Modi said Rs 34,217 crore has been spent in the last 15 years on various schemes of the Urban Development and Housing Department.

Total Rs 155 crore has been approved for organic farming in 12 districts that are situated along Ganga and have been identified as the Organic Corridor of the state, he said.

Organic farming has been started in 103 clusters in five cities along Ganga, Sushil Modi said.