Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has asked Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia for an interest-free loan of ₹1,779 crore. This loan would help fund the T-Fiber project, which aims to provide affordable fiber-optic internet connections to households across the state. The goal is to offer internet access to 93 lakh households in Telangana for just ₹300 per month.
During a meeting in Delhi on Friday, Chief Minister Reddy and Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka discussed their plan with Minister Scindia. They explained that the T-Fiber project would connect all village panchayats, mandals, and districts with optical fiber, improving connectivity across the state.
The T-Fiber project is designed to deliver internet, cable TV, and e-education services. It will reach 63 lakh households in rural areas and 30 lakh households in urban areas, all for a low monthly cost of ₹300. The state has already started providing internet services at 300 farmers’ centres and social welfare schools.
Chief Minister Reddy informed Minister Scindia that the state has already secured ₹530 crore out of the required ₹1,779 crore for the T-Fiber project. He requested that the central government provide the remaining amount as a long-term, interest-free loan to help complete the project.
Additionally, Reddy asked for timely delivery of infrastructure for the first phase of the National Optical Fiber Network (NOFN). He noted that while some districts are using the current NOFN system, others are relying on T-Fiber. To ensure smooth and efficient service, he emphasized the importance of receiving the necessary infrastructure on time.
Reddy also reminded Minister Scindia that the state government had submitted a plan last October to upgrade NOFN to the BharatNet-3 system. He urged for quick approval of this plan so that e-governance could be extended to all districts. Reddy also highlighted the need to apply BharatNet’s high-speed internet plan to the T-Fiber project, particularly for rural areas.
