New Delhi, Jun 18 (IANS): The Common Services Centers (CSC) and Telecom Sector Skill Council (TSSC) have joined hands to train one lakh CSC Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) and rural youths on the maintenance of optical fibre under BharatNet across the country.

This will ensure availability of reliable Internet to citizens in rural areas, enabling their participation in digital governance and economy.

The training will be conducted through CSC Academy, the education and CSR wing of CSC, and will focus on acquiring knowledge about optical fibre applications, splicing of optical fibre, installation of optical fibre cables, and entrepreneurship and soft skills. Training will be imparted through an online mode with both self-paced modules as well as live classes. TSSC will provide certification to the trainees after an online assessment.

In July 2019, CSC was entrusted with the responsibility of Operation & Maintenance (O&M) of BharatNet Optical Fibre Cable, First Line Maintenance (FLM) of equipment and providing last mile connectivity through Wi-Fi. Since then, Fibre Restoration Teams (FRT) comprising more than 10,000 rural youths have been trained and mobilized for the BharatNet maintenance through CSC.

With the announcement by the Prime Minister to connect every village across the nation with optical fibre in the coming 1,000 days, CSC is gearing up to provide fibre to the Home (FTTH) broadband Internet connectivity to all villages.

Elaborating on the training programme, CEO, CSC SPV, Sanjay Kumar Rakesh said, "Through this partnership, we plan to raise a pool of skilled VLEs and rural youth who will provide last-mile optical fibre connectivity across the country under the BharatNet programme. This will also generate employment opportunities in rural India and contribute towards the government's mission of a self-reliant India."

Arvind Bali, CEO, TSSC said, "With a growing national interest in fiberisation, there has been an increase in demand for skills and jobs that are needed for this infrastructure and related services. It is our endeavour to support the government's vision for a digitally connected nation and an 'Atma Nirbhar' India. Fiberisation is the backbone of digital infrastructure that is needed to drive this vision, particularly in the rural areas."

CEO, CSC Wi-Fi Choupal Services India (P) Limited, Alok Vardhan Chaturvedi said, "CSC Wi-Fi Choupal has been entrusted with the maintenance of optical fibre in 1.18 lakh Gram Panchayats across the country since 2019. As many as 10,000 VLEs and rural youth have been providing maintenance services across these GPs. With this partnership, we will be able to enhance the number of skilled workers for optical fibre maintenance, ensuring uninterrupted Internet connectivity in rural areas."