The Hindu Business Line : Maran unveils State-wide area network initiative

WITH a view to promoting spread of high-speed network connectivity for government-to-government communication up to the block level, the Government on Wednesday announced a State-wide area network (SWAN) policy, entailing an investment of Rs 1,000 crore.

"This would bring benefits of modern information and communications technologies and services to the vast majority of people, particularly those in remote and rural areas," the Communications and IT Minister, Mr Dayanidhi Maran, said here.

Currently, States have various stand-alone network systems that are not connected to each other. The latest initiative would enable the linking up of various States with a national network, Mr Maran said comparing it to an `electronic highway.'

States such as Gujarat, Assam, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, J&K, Rajasthan, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh have already evinced interest in the initiative, Mr Maran added.

"We are trying to promote State-wide networks and finally handshake with the national network where information can be accessed from any part of the country," he said.

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd has laid the fibre up to the block level and had offered the Government a 90 per cent discount for using its network.

The Minister said the bandwidth cost would be borne by the States while the Department of Information Technology would spend on the equipment. While the Centre would give the initial fillip, the States would need to furnish proposals to the DIT for establishment of Swans.

The DIT has specified a minimum bandwidth of two mbps for the network, he said adding that in order to achieve this standardisation, the DIT would meet the entire capital and operational costs of the network for a period of five years except bandwidth cost.

To be eligible for funding support, the States would need to undertake implementation of three major State-wide e-governance projects that required such connectivity of which at least one should have been rolled out over the entire State.

The guidelines for security, standardisation, interoperability and interconnectivity requirements will be issued by the NIC.