HYDERABAD: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has urged the Centre to allow the state government to convert T-Fiber into Bharat Net Phase-3 and provide an interest-free loan of Rs 1,779 crore.
The idea is to provide Internet connections to 63 lakh houses in rural areas and 30 lakh in urban areas at Rs 300 per month, Revanth told Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, who he and Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka met in Delhi on Friday.
Revanth told Scindia that the state government was committed to provide Internet connectivity to all gram panchayats, mandals and districts through optic fiber under the T-Fiber project.
He said that the plan was to provide Internet services that will give cable TV access as well as provide e-education services, apart from extending G2G (government to government) and G2C (government to citizen) connectivity to 65,500 government institutions.
Revanth said that the state government has already provided a Rythu Nestham programme to 300 Rythu Vedikas through T-Fiber and Internet facility is made available to social welfare schools. The state government has mobilised Rs 530 crore through various financial institutions for the proposed T-Fiber project which is being taken up at the cost of Rs 1,779 crore, Revanth said, requesting the Union minister to sanction Rs 1,779 crore as a long-term interest-free loan through Universal Service Obligation Fund (USFO) to Telangana.
He urged Scindia to provide the first phase of National Optical Fiber Network (NOFN) infrastructure to the state in time. He said that while the first phase of NOFN was running on the basis of linear architecture in some districts, T-Fiber is functioning on ring architecture in the remaining areas.
“Thus, it is proposed to provide NOFN first phase infrastructure in time for efficient management and utilisation of the network,” Revanth said.
He reminded Scindia that the state government has already sent the detailed project report (DPR) to the Centre in October last year requesting conversion of the first phase of NOFN to Bharat Net-3 architecture. Revanth asked Scindia to approve the DPR. He asserted that e-Governance services would be provided to 33 districts through Bharat Net-3 in the state.
TG can host Olympics, Asian Games: Revanth
Meanwhile, Revanth, Vikramarka and Tourism Minister Jupally Krishna Rao met Union Minister for Sports Mansukh L Mandaviya in Delhi and urged him to provide Telangana with opportunities to host future national and international sports events, including Olympics.
The CM told Mandaviya that Telangana possessed all the necessary infrastructure to host such events. He highlighted the achievements of Telangana athletes who have won medals in various international competitions, including the Olympics.
Revanth spoke about the international-standard sports facilities available in Hyderabad, including the Gachibowli Sports Complex, Saroornagar Stadium, LB Stadium, KBR Indoor Stadium, OU Campus, Gymkhana Ground and Hussainsagar, which offer amenities like swimming pools, multipurpose indoor sports, synthetic athletics tracks, shooting ranges, football grounds, skating tracks and water sports facilities (rowing, kayaking, and canoeing). He also mentioned the availability of five-star hotels and excellent air and rail connectivity in Hyderabad.
The CM told Mandaviya that Hyderabad had successfully hosted major events in the past, such as the National Games in 2002, Afro-Asian Games in 2003, and the World Military Games in 2007. He said that Telangana should be given the opportunity to host events like the Olympics and Asian Games in the future. Additionally, he sought the inclusion of Hyderabad as a venue for the Khelo India Youth Games scheduled for January 2025.
He also discussed the state government’s plan to establish a Sports University in Telangana to nurture the sporting talents of the youth. He requested financial assistance from the Centre for setting up this university, which would focus on training and research across various sports disciplines.
The CM urged Mandaviya to increase the allocation of funds under the Khelo India scheme for the development of sports infrastructure in Telangana. He requested the approval of DPRs already submitted by the state government for the upgrade of facilities at the GMC Balayogi Stadium in Gachibowli, the shooting range at the University of Hyderabad, LB Stadium, the sports school in Hakimpet, and the Saroornagar Indoor Stadium.