Jagdalpur, Oct 7 (PTI) The Chhattisgarh government on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) for providing free internet facility through Wi-Fi in 108 villages of Maoist-hit Bastar district, an official said.

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The agreement was signed in Jagdalpur, the headquarters of the district, by Bastar Collector Chandan Kumar and BSNL general manager Sharadchandra Tiwari in the presence of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.

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The agreement, which was signed as part of the state's 'Bastar Connect' initiative, will see 73 villages in Bastar development block and 35 villages of Tokapal development block getting free internet service, the official said.

"Such facility is being made available on a large scale in rural areas for the first time and it will help in e-governance and boost social and economic development of the region. Students will benefit immensely. BSNL will set up the equipment and take care of maintenance," he added.

The free WiFi facility will be available in haat-bazar, panchayat building and public places in the villages, the official said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)