Context: The Prime Minister inaugurated the Kochi-Lakshadweep Islands Submarine Optical Fiber Connection (KLI – SOFC) project to resolve the slow internet speed problem in Lakshadweep.
About Kochi-Lakshadweep Islands Submarine Optical Fiber Connection Project
- Aim: The Kochi-Lakshadweep Islands Submarine Optical Fiber Connection (KLI – SOFC) project aims to increase the internet speed by over 100 times, from 1.7Gbps to 200Gbps.
- Funding: Total financial implication is about Rs 1072 crore funded by Universal Service Obligation (USO) Fund.
- USO Fund was established with fundamental objective of providing access to “Basic” telecommunication services to people in remote and rural areas at affordable and reasonable prices.
- Project Execution Agency: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) was nominated as the Project Execution Agency
Other Major Development Initiative:
- Low-Temperature Thermal Desalination (LTTD) plant at Kadmat: It has been designed to produce 1.5 lakh litres of clean drinking water every day and is operational now.
- Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTC) in all households: The saturation of tapped water connections to all houses in Agatti and Minicoy islands.
- Solar power plant at Kavaratti: It is the first-ever battery-backed solar power project of Lakshadweep to address energy challenges.
- Primary Health Care facility: It has been started in Kalpeni.
- Construction of five model Anganwadi Centres (Nand Ghars) in the five islands of Androth, Chetlat, Kadmat, Agatti and Minicoy are in progress.
- Ice Plant in Agatti: It will create new opportunities related to seafood processing and Tuna Fish export.
About Lakshadweep
- It is an archipelago of 36 coral islands with an area of 32 sq km in the Arabian Sea, off the coast of Kerala, India
- Only 10 islands are inhabited
- The easternmost island lies about 185 miles (300 km) from the coast of the state of Kerala.
- It is a Union Territory established in 1956.
- Capital: Kavaratti Island.
- Geography: The islands are made of coral reefs and green coconut groves.
- Culture: The population is predominantly Muslim, with fishing as the main occupation.
- Environment: The islands are a haven for endangered marine turtles, with nesting sites for green turtles and hawksbill turtles.
Must Read: What Are Optical Fibre Cables And How Do They Works?
Source: The Economic Times