If you live in a rural area and want to install broadband internet at your home, the government has launched a special scheme called Digital Bharat Nidhi. Its goal is to connect rural areas with broadband internet at affordable prices. Under the BharatNet project, free installation is being done in panchayats and other villages. This work is being carried out by the state-owned company BSNL. Its cheapest plan is ₹259 per month. By spending approximately ₹250 per month, you will receive 700GB of internet and OTT benefits. Let’s explore this scheme in detail and who can benefit from it.
The Digital Bharat Nidhi scheme was launched to provide internet access to remote and rural areas of the country. Under this scheme, the state-owned company BSNL is providing FTTH connections for just ₹259 per month. The company is not charging any installation fees. The installation charge also includes OFC and CPE/ONT costs. This means you won’t have to pay anything to get your broadband installed. Once the connection is activated, customers will only have to pay a monthly subscription fee. This will be added to the first month’s bill.
Under this scheme, BSNL offers a Fiber Rural Entry Plan, priced at just ₹259. Customers receive 700GB of data at 25Mbps speeds for one month. After the 700GB data limit is exhausted, the speed drops to 2Mbps. Customers also receive unlimited local and STD calls to any network. Prasar Bharati’s Waves OTT is also available for free with this plan.
The government company offers another plan for users living in rural areas. It costs ₹399 per month. This plan offers 1400GB of data per month at 40Mbps speeds. After the data limit is exhausted, the internet speed drops to 4Mbps. Customers enjoy unlimited local and STD calls to any network.
These internet plans are for people living in rural areas. If your home falls under the jurisdiction of a Gram Panchayat, you can avail these plans. You’ll need to fill in your details online. You can apply for a new connection by visiting the website we mentioned at the beginning of this article. However, the connection will only be available at your home if BharatNet service is available in your area.