THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state will announce the inauguration of the first phase of the Kerala Fiber Optic Network (KFON), an ambitious IT infrastructure project to make the internet accessible to everyone by next month, said Finance Minister TM Thomas Isaac.
The project will be functional by July, Isaac said during the budget presentation on Friday.
Families below the poverty line (BPL) will be able to surf the net free of cost besides extending services to over 30,000 government offices when KFON becomes operational.
The Finance minister also announced that no monopoly would be allowed in the internet highway in the state.
The budget also allocated Rs 166 crore for the project.
To the digital divide among people, the budget announced 25 per cent subsidy on purchasing laptops by BPL families.
“Besides digitalising schools every home should have a laptop with internet connection for creating digital society,” said Isaac.
The Rs 1550-crore project is a joint venture between the Kerala State IT Infrastructure Ltd and KSEB.