KERALA SET TO MAKE INTERNET ACCESS A BASIC HUMAN RIGHT

Kerala will soon become the first state in the country to declare Internet access as a human right.

In the state budget presented two weeks ago, the CPI(M)-led government earmarked a special fund aimed at providing Internet connections to 20 lakh families either at subsidised rates or completely free of cost.

The Kerala government feels that nobody in a country rapidly heading towards hassle-free governance and a cashless economy should be at pains to acquire the new-age technology.

High-speed internet connectivity is a basic right in most developed nations. In 2010, Sweden became the first country to make broadband Internet a legal right for every citizen. Canada followed suit last year, ensuring that every resident was entitled to Internet access at a minimum speed of 50 Mbps.

The state, which lays claim to many firsts in human development indices, plans to launch a big campaign on the lines of its ambitious e-literacy programme – Akshaya – to empower those deprived of Internet connectivity. Akshaya, launched in the early 2000s, catapulted Kerala into becoming India’s most e-literate state by 2016-end.

Speaking to HT, finance minister Thomas Issac said a new firm will be floated with the help of the state electricity board to oversee the revolutionary scheme. “First we have to ensure adequate infrastructure is put in place. We will take a ₹1,000-crore loan from the Kerala Infrastructure Development Fund Board for the purpose. After that, we will speak to telecom providers in this regard,” he said.

The state plans to install a new high-speed optical fibre network called K:Fon, which will run parallel to the existing electricity board network. “If everything goes well, almost all governmental transactions will be available online by 2018. We have to equip citizens to meet this standard,” Issac said.