HYDERABAD: In a significant step towards promoting financial independence among women’s groups in the state and expanding rural digital infrastructure, Telangana Fiber Grid Corporation (T-Fiber) is gearing up to provide them with opportunities to become cable operators.
In the recently held Managing Committee meeting, T-Fiber Managing Director, Venu Prasad announced the decision to support women from Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in local cable operators (LCO) families by facilitating loans up to Rs 4 lakh through Stree Nidhi Credit Cooperative Federation under the Department of Rural Development. These loans are intended for the purchase of necessary cables and other equipment required to operate the service.
Eligible LCOs or their women family members who are part of SHGs are encouraged to complete their registration on the T-Fiber portal before the June 10 deadline. This decision is part of a broader push to empower women through digital infrastructure and rural development initiatives.
In areas where no applications are received, the opportunity may be extended to unemployed youth with diplomas or technical qualifications, thereby widening the project’s social impact.
As part of its digital outreach, T-Fiber plans to establish a dedicated broadband unit in every village, to be operated and maintained by local personnel. Currently, over 8,890 gram panchayats have been made service-ready, with the necessary infrastructure in place for high-speed internet deployment.
Once fully operational, the initiative aims to connect more than four crore people across 33 districts, 589 mandals, 12,769 gram panchayats, and 93 lakh households, bridging the digital divide and creating new livelihood avenues in rural Telangana.