Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced on Thursday that the state had become the first and only in the country to have its own internet service.
The announcement was made as the Kerala Fiber Optic Network Limited (KFON) obtained Internet Service Provider (ISP) license from the department of telecommunications.
The ambitious IT infrastructure project of the state government was initiated to make internet accessible to everyone in the state.
The CM said that with this, the project to bridge the digital divide in the society can commence its operations.
Taking to Twitter, CM Vijayan wrote, “Kerala becomes the only State in the country with its own internet service. The Kerala Fiber Optic Network Ltd has received the ISP license from @DoT_India. Now, our prestigious #KFON project can kickstart its operations of providing the internet as a basic right to our people.”
It may be noted that the KFON scheme envisages providing free internet to below poverty line families and 30,000 government offices. It was launched by the previous government at a cost of Rs 1,548 crores after declaring internet connection a basic right.
