The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, on Monday evening reviewed the progress of digital infrastructure, rural infrastructure, and connectivity sectors.
The Prime Minister sought details from officials on preparations for providing electricity to all unconnected villages in the country within 1000 days, as mentioned in his Independence Day address. He directed concerned departments to monitor progress towards this goal on a real-time basis.
The Prime Minister was apprised of the status of mobile connectivity across the country. He directed officials to explore the possibility of leveraging existing resources, including railway and other communication infrastructure, to provide mobile connectivity in remote, unconnected areas. He emphasized that the targets for digital infrastructure should be synchronized with the targets for the Digital India initiative.
The Prime Minister expressed serious concern over the issue of "call drops" and asked officials as to what steps were being taken to address this problem, which, he said, directly affects the common man. He directed that steps be taken urgently to resolve the problem, and also to ensure that the problems in voice connectivity do not extend to data connectivity in the future.
The Prime Minister reviewed the progress of solar energy related projects, especially with regard to railway stations and airports. He directed that work related to setting up of Railway Universities be speeded up. He also called for priority to be assigned to road links with Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.
The Prime Minister said that with enough funds now being provided for infrastructure creation, the onus is on the concerned Ministries to ensure that these outlays are converted into proportionate outcomes.
Shri Arvind Panagariya, Vice Chairman NITI Aayog, was present at the meeting. Senior officials from PMO, NITI Aayog, and concerned Ministries were also present.
