‘Six lakh villages will get internet connectivity by 2024’

Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajeev Chandrashekhar said six lakh villages of the country will get internet connectivity under the Bharat Net programme by 2024.

Speaking to mediapersons in Shivamogga on August 17, Rajeev Chandrashekhar said, as of now, around 2.8 lakh villages have got internet facility. The remaining villages would be covered in the coming years. “Our aim is to provide internet facility to every household, and every member in a family should access the internet with a low-cost device,” he said.

The Centre had taken up a digital village programme, under which a village in each district is identified for development. Around 5,000 digital villages had been developed in the country, the Union Minister said.

Mr. Chandrashekhar said the new education policy would usher significant changes. Students would start learning skills from class 6 onwards. “The policy offers opportunities for higher education as well as training in various skills. All this is aimed at better employability. The biggest reform that the new education policy will be bringing is ensuring employability,” he said.

Regarding skill development programmes conducted by the government, around two crore people had been trained in various skills in the last five years. Among those trained under short-term programmes, around 60% got jobs, while those in the long-duration programmes, like ITI, had a good number of opportunities both in government and private sectors. “We are making efforts to enhance the employability of those who get trained in short-term programmes,” he said.

Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj K.S. Eshwarappa and other elected representatives of the district and senior officers were present at the mediaa conference.