ITANAGAR, Sep 22: Governor Lt Gen (Retd) KT Parnaik on Tuesday emphasised the need to strengthen telecommunications connectivity across Arunachal Pradesh, particularly in remote, rural and border areas.
The Governor made the observation during a meeting with BSNL Chief General Manager, North East-II Telecom Circle, Ramashray Prasad, who called on him at Lok Bhavan here. They discussed expansion and strengthening of the BSNL network across the State.
Parnaik said reliable communication infrastructure has become essential requirement for development and governance, noting that modern education, including smart classrooms and digital learning platforms, Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), online scholarships disbursement, telemedicine services, digital banking and financial transactions of Self-Help Groups depend on dependable telecom services.
Sharing feedback from his tours across the State, the Governor said that poor or inconsistent network connectivity remains a frequent concern among villagers, students, government officials and entrepreneurs. He noted that weak network signals and slow internet in remote areas affect access to essential services and economic opportunities.
The Governor stressed that connectivity is no longer merely a convenience but a critical enabler of education, healthcare, governance, financial inclusion and livelihood generation.
The BSNL CGM briefed the Governor on the progress of network installations and challenges faced in expanding services. He acknowledged the difficulties experienced by users and assured that these would be addressed on priority.
The Governor said BSNL, as a public sector enterprise, has a significant responsibility to ensure equitable access to communication services, especially in underserved areas where private operators may have limited presence.
He advised BSNL officials to maintain close coordination with district administrations and concerned departments while laying optical fibre networks and establishing telecom infrastructure.
He expressed confidence that strengthened connectivity would bridge distances, improve service delivery, empower citizens and contribute significantly to the vision of a developed and digitally connected Arunachal Pradesh.
It was also decided to hold a coordination conference involving the State Government, Armed Forces and BSNL to address existing bottlenecks and work out measures to meet the communication requirements of the State and security forces.
Principal General Managers Dilip Siram and Paritosh Kumar Shah, and Deputy General Manager SLP Vaiphei were also present in the meeting.