N Ravi Shanker has quit as the Administrator of Universal Services Obligation (USO) fund to take over as Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms. Shanker was also the Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Broadband Network Ltd, the entity rolling out the National Optical Fibre Network.

Shanker, 1980 batch IAS officer of UttaraKhand cadre, had taken charge of the USO Fund in December 2011 for a three-year period but has quit prematurely. Earlier, Shanker was being considered for the post of Secretary, Department of Telecom but that job has gone to Rakesh Garg. 

Under Shanker’s tenure, a number of initiatives were proposed, the most important of which is the Rs 20,000-crore National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) project aimed at connecting 2.5 lakh villages with broadband services. However procedural delays and lack of coordination among various Government bodies involved in the project has delayed the project by 2 years. 

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