Addressing the nation on the 74th Independence Day today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that every village across India will be connected with optical fibre cable networks in the next 1000 days.
In a muted and restricted ceremony amid the coronavirus pandemic outbreak, the prime minister said, "That prior to 2014 only five dozen panchayats in the country were connected with optical fibre networks. But in the last five years, 1.5 lakh panchayats have gone online," adding, "In the coming 1,000 days, every village in the country will be connected".
The prime minister is delivering his seventh consecutive Independence Day speech from the iconic Red Fort.