Context

• India has decided to extend National Knowledge Network to Bangladesh.
• Prime Ministers of India and Bangladesh unveiled e-plaques for supply of buses and trucks, inauguration of 36 community clinics, 11 water treatment plants, and extension of National Knowledge Network to Bangladesh.

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• National Knowledge Network will connect scholars and research institutes in Bangladesh with India and the world.
• Buses and trucks would assist the efforts towards affordable public transportation; water treatment plants will help supply clean water; and community clinics will benefit about 2 lakh people in Bangladesh
• The government is in the process of extending India’s National Knowledge Network to SAARC countries in order to enhance cooperation in the field of education.

What is National Knowledge Network?

• NKN is a state-of-the-art Pan-India network and is a revolutionary step towards creating a knowledge society without boundaries.
• NKN is intended to connect all the knowledge and research institutions in the country using high bandwidth / low latency network.
• In March 2010, the Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure (CCI) approved the establishment of the National Knowledge Network (NKN) to be implemented by National Informatics Centre over a period of 10 years.
• Establishing NKN is a significant step towards ushering in a knowledge revolution in the country with connectivity to 1500+ institutions.

NKN has been established keeping the following features in mind:

• Establishing a high-speed backbone connectivity which will enable knowledge and information sharing.
• Enabling collaborative research, development and Innovation.
• Facilitating advanced distance education in specialized fields such as engineering, science, medicine etc.
• Facilitating an ultra-high speed backbone for e-Governance.
• Facilitating integration of different sectoral networks in the field of research, education, health, commerce and governance.
• Link to Global Networks to collaborate with the research communities across the globe.
• NKN is designed as a Smart Ultra High Bandwidth network that seamlessly interconnects the leading Scientific and Technological institutions - which are pursuing world-class research and development.
• NKN design is inherently proactive; it takes into account the requirements that may occur in the near term and long term.

Significance

• It will facilitate the development of India's information infrastructure, stimulate research, and create next generation applications and services.
• The purpose of NKN goes to the very core of the country’s quest for building quality institutions with requisite research facilities and to create a pool of highly trained professionals.
• NKN is a significant step which will enable scientists, researchers and students from across the country to work together for advancing human development in critical and emerging areas.
  
  

  National Informatics Centre( Rashtriya Suchna Vigyan Kendra) It is the premier science and technology organisation of the Government of India in informatics services and information and communication technology (ICT) applications. It is part of the Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology's Department of Electronics & Information Technology. The NIC was established in 1976.