Panaji, Jul 30 (PTI) Goa Information and Technology Minister Rohan Khaunte has announced the rollout of the 'Har Ghar Fibre' initiative, aimed at providing high-speed internet connectivity to every household in the coastal state.

The initiative rollout will begin on a pilot basis in Porvorim, Sankhalim, and Bicholim, all in North Goa districts, Khaunte said in the state assembly on Tuesday during the demands for grants for information technology, electronics and communications.

Goa will soon get 'Har Ghar Fibre', ensuring high-speed internet connectivity to every household, he said.

Further enhancing last-mile delivery, four new Common Service Centres (CSCs) will be established in Darbandora (South Goa), Valpoi, Panjim, and Porvorim (all in North Goa) to strengthen people's access to digital services in both rural and urban constituencies.

Under the Goa Broad Band Network (GBBN), 414 locations, comprising 189 village panchayats and 225 government offices are already connected, extending secure network coverage to over 1,500 government and institutional offices across the state, Khaunte said.

The public can avail free wi-fi service through 137 hotspots installed across all 40 constituencies, with locations prioritised based on inputs from local MLAs, he said.

Speaking further, Khaunte said the Goa Online portal currently offers 247 end-to-end services from 41 departments, having facilitated over 31 lakh transactions and benefited more than 8 lakh people.

"These services are also available through the CSC network to ensure accessibility at the grassroots level," he said.

Responding to questions about the start-up ecosystem, the minister said the state has 759 registered startups under the Goa Startup Policy and DPIIT.

"The government has disbursed Rs 4.10 crore through various startup support schemes to these start-ups," he added. PTI RPS GK

Universal household broadband access announced to expand last-mile connectivity and digital public service delivery. State rollout of a universal high-speed household broadband initiative, beginning with pilots in named constituencies, paired with expansion of Common Service Centres to strengthen last-mile delivery; the programme leverages the existing Government Broadband Network, public Wi Fi hotspots, and an online portal delivering departmental end-to-end services, and runs alongside state startup support disbursements.