Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 21: One hundred and fifty new mobile phone towers would soon be set up in Jammu and Kashmir to strengthen the state’s communication network.
“As many as 150 mobile towers would be installed to strengthen (J&K’s) mobile network,” Union Minister of State for Communication and Information Technology Dr Kruparani Killi told reporters here.
She was responding to a demand raised by a Congress MP at the inauguration of the office of the chief postmaster general (CPMG) at Railhead complex here.
“I will talk to BSNL (Officials in the State) and discuss which uncovered areas are to be taken up under this plan,” she added.
The Union minister said that her department would spend Rs 3,000 crore on the expansion of mobile services in the country with 2,000 new mobile towers to be set up as part of the plan, mostly in uncovered areas.
During his speech at the event, Congress MP Lal Singh had expressed regret that several areas in the State were yet to be covered by BSNL, leaving people cut off from mobile communication.
Replying to another question about the commencement of SMS service of Pre-paid mobile connections, Union Minister said it has been banned as per the decision of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The Department of Posts (DoP) has sanctioned Rs 4,700 crore under IT modernisation project for computerisation and modernisation of post offices across the country.
“The Centre has sanctioned Rs 4,700 crore under IT Modernisation Project for computerisation and modernisation of post offices with a provision of Rs 1,500 crore for installing computer hardware in all rural post offices in the country,” Dr Killi said.
The Centre has embarked on a massive drive to upgrade the postal infrastructure to strengthen service delivery system and comply with the Centre’s e-governance plan, Dr Killi said adding that by May 2014, all post offices will be providing online services and by the end of next year, DoP will be installing 1,000 ATMs in main post offices.
Dr Killi, who is on her first visit to Jammu and Kashmir, promised best postal services to the people of the State.
“With 1.55 lakh post offices and over 4.5 lakh employees in the country, India Post is the largest postal organisation in the world delivering 1.75 crore letters, 2.7 lakh parcels, 1.9 crore money orders daily to people across the nation,” said the Minister asserting that the Centre is committed to providing efficient postal services on value for money basis.
On the initiatives taken by DoP for making post offices citizen-friendly, the Minister told that DoP have started “Project Arrow” under which 2,000 post offices will be upgraded in the next one year.
The DoP is actively involved in implementation of key central schemes like disbursement of MGNREGS wages to rural beneficiaries, social security schemes like National Pension Scheme (NPS), delivery of Unique Identity Numbers to citizens under the UIDAI Project and others, she said.
While referring to postal operations in Jammu and Kashmir, the Minister added, despite the turmoil in recent past, Jammu and Kashmir Postal Circle has taken big strides in development of postal services.
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