Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday launched ‘Project Ganga’ to provide high-speed broadband connectivity to the villages of Uttar Pradesh, give new impetus to digital inclusion and create self-employment opportunities for the youth. This project will ensure last mile digital connectivity in rural areas as well as expand new opportunities in digital education, telemedicine, e-governance, skill development and technology-based employment.
Under Project Ganga, a wide network of Digital Service Providers (DSP) will be developed in the state. Through this, a target has been set to provide high speed internet to about 20 lakh families, create 8 to 10 thousand digital service providers and create more than one lakh employment opportunities directly and indirectly. In the first phase of the project, its operation is being started in 21 districts.
basis of development, prosperity and life
Chief Minister Yogi He said that just as the flow of Mother Ganga from Gangotri to Gangasagar has been the basis of development, prosperity and life of the areas falling in its path, similarly Project Ganga will also become a strong basis for the digital prosperity of Uttar Pradesh. This initiative will create new possibilities for social and economic transformation by bringing digital opportunities to villages.
He said that in the last nine years, the distance between the government and the public has reduced in Uttar Pradesh through many technology-based initiatives including e-office, Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), BC Sakhi, Gram Sachivalaya. These efforts have given a new impetus to digital empowerment and made access to services easier for common citizens. Project Ganga is the next important phase of this journey.
The Chief Minister said that this project, which is being started in 21 districts in the first phase, will have to be extended to all the 57 thousand Gram Panchayats and about 8 thousand Nyaya Panchayats of the state. With this, the concept of last mile digital connectivity will be realized and villages will develop as smart villages. He said that a target was set to prepare 8 thousand digital entrepreneurs to promote digital empowerment in the state.
Project Ganga will play an important role in realizing this goal. The government’s effort is not only to provide internet connectivity but also to make the youth self-reliant. This project will provide new opportunities for self-employment and entrepreneurship by connecting the youth with the digital economy.
Interest up to Rs 5 lakh for youth
Congratulating Hinduja Group for this initiative, the Chief Minister said that the state government is providing interest-free loans up to Rs 5 lakh to the youth through ‘CM Yuva’ scheme. The youth selected under Project Ganga will also be able to take advantage of this facility and establish their own enterprises as digital service providers.
Emphasizing the importance of selection and training, the Chief Minister said that the success of the project will depend on trained and competent digital service providers. He directed that the selected youth should be provided quality training from technical, managerial and professional points of view, so that they can develop an effective network of digital services in their areas.
In the program, Finance Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna said that Project Ganga is an important initiative towards the overall development of Uttar Pradesh. He said that widespread access to technology forms the basis of social and economic change. Giving the example of mobile phones, he said that technology has brought positive changes in the lives of even those who were once away from it. Today the common citizen is getting the benefits of government schemes through digital mediums and is directly connecting with the country and the world. He expressed confidence that Project Ganga will further accelerate this change by taking digital services to every village.
Information Technology and Electronics Minister Sunil Kumar Sharma said that Project Ganga is not just a government program but a strong foundation for the digital future of Uttar Pradesh. This initiative will open doors of new opportunities for the youth, students, farmers and entrepreneurs of the state and will become a medium for widespread change in the coming years.
On behalf of Hinduja Group, Group President Corporate Affairs Sunil Kumar Chadha said that this initiative is an important step towards realizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Digital India vision at the grassroots level. He said that Uttar Pradesh is the first state in the country to adopt this type of innovative model. Hinduja Group is cooperating in this project with the principle of no profit, no loss. He said that as per the intention of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, extensive participation of women will be ensured in the project and about 50 percent of the beneficiaries will be women.
Know the outline of Project Ganga
State Transformation Commission Chairman Manoj Kumar Singh, while presenting the outline of Project Ganga, said that this is not just a project to expand internet connectivity, but a new model of digital entrepreneurship in rural Uttar Pradesh. Under this, local youth will be developed as Digital Service Providers (DSP), who will provide digital services by installing fiber broadband networks in their areas. He said that through the project, a target has been set to provide high speed broadband connectivity to about 20 lakh families, create 8 to 10 thousand digital service providers and create more than one lakh employment opportunities directly and indirectly.
He said that Project Ganga will provide new opportunities for digital education, telemedicine, online skill training, e-governance, cyber security, public Wi-Fi, smart agriculture and IT-based employment in rural areas. Under the project, the selected youth will also be provided support in training, technical assistance, network building and business operations, so that they can establish sustainable digital enterprises in their areas.
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