PM Modi assures villages to get optical fiber internet in 1,000 days

New Delhi, Aug 15: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on saturday said that in the next 1,000 days, every village in India will get optical fiber internet.

"In the last five years, 1.5 lakh gram panchayats in the country have been connected with optical fiber. Before 2014, only 5 dozen panchayats in the country were connected with optical fiber. Now, our aim is to connect every village with high-speed internet. This goal will be met in the coming thousand days. In the coming 1,000 days, every village in the country will be connected with optical fiber," PM Modi said in his speech from the Red Fort in Delhi.

He further spoke about the Digital India Campaign and how it has played a pivotal role during coronavirus pandemic.

"In COVID time, we have seen what the role of Digital India campaign has been. Just last month, about 3 lakh crore rupees have transacted from BHIM UPI alone," PM Modi said.

In his Independence Day speech, PM Modi said that several big companies of the world are turning to India and the will have to go ahead with the mantra of Make in India as well as Make for World.

PM Modi started his speech by paying his homage to all those who have laid their lives down in the line of duty, members of the armed forces and frontline workers amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Prime Minister also pointed to the absence of the hundreds of school children who sit in front of the dais every year. He said the coronavirus pandemic has curtailed the celebrations as he also acknowledged the corona warriors and all those who have succumbed to the viral disease.