(MENAFN- AsiaNet News) Thiruvananthapuram: K-FON has revoked its contract with Kerala Vision, which pledged to offer free connections to BPL families in the state. Despite ten months passing since the inauguration, K-FON has failed to deliver even half of the 14,000 connections promised in the initial phase. The contract termination by K-FON includes one year of maintenance.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on June 5 launched the Kerala Fibre Optic Network (K-FON), a project owned by the state government. K-FON intended to provide free broadband connections to 14,000 economically disadvantaged families in Kerala as well as internet connectivity to an estimated 30,000 government workplaces in the state as part of the initial phase.
After ten months of operational progress, the K-FON graph is disappointing, with only 5734 out of 14,000 targeted BPL families receiving free connections. Despite Kerala Vision's repeated alerts about incomplete personal information hindering balance payments, K-FON has not taken action.
K-FON has opted not to renew its contract with Kerala Vision following the expiration of one year. The remaining connections will now be provided directly by K Phone. While Kerala Vision is entitled to one year of maintenance for the connections it provided, K FON has not provided any clarification on this matter, and the payment has not been made as per the contract terms. For K-FON to sustain itself, it requires a monthly income of at least 15 crore rupees, covering operating expenses and loan repayments.
The state government launched the K-FON programme to prevent private cable networks and mobile service providers from taking advantage of it. The Chief Minister had emphasised that the K-FON initiative, which the LDF government planned to implement through the Department of Electricity and IT, will aid in closing the social digital divide.
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