Yahoo News A whole state in India is giving all college students free internet access
Indian state governments are joining technology giants and central government in pushing internet connectivity to more people.
The latest instance of this comes from the eastern Indian state of Bihar, where the government has announced free Wi-Fi access to college and university students.
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The chief minister of the state, Nitish Kumar urged the students to make good use of the free internet. "The objective is to provide free Wi-Fi facility to help youths to move ahead in life and to become digital smart," he told Hindustan Times.
The move comes days after the state, once widely known for its poor governance, announced the Bihar Startup Policy 2017 — a $76 million fund that pledges to work on fostering startup culture.
Once considered a luxury, access to internet is quickly becoming ubiquitous in Bihar.
Whether it's Reliance Jio's free internet charm, or Google's free Wi-Fi at railway stations, the local residents have shown significant interest in using online services.
Other states aren't behind, either. Earlier this month, the southern Indian state of Kerala announced that it will offer free Wi-Fi to all citizens, calling access to the internet a "basic right."
The central government announced last month that it would be bringing affordable internet to more than 150,000 villages.
