Consider the following statements about BharatNet Project: 1. BharatNet Project has been launched in 2015. 2. The Project will be implemented in all states through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? |ForumIAS

[A] 1 only

[B] 2 only

[C] Both 1 and 2

[D] Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: D

Notes:

BharatNet Project was originally launched in 2011 as the National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) and renamed as Bharat-Net in 2015.

Recently, Union Cabinet has accorded approval for the revised implementation strategy of BharatNet through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode in 16 States of the country.
The 16 States covered under the project are: Kerala, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh.
Moreover, the project will be divided into nine packages, each corresponding to one or more telecom circles, and no private investor will be awarded more than four packages to avoid monopoly.

Source: EPIC, July 2021.