Jharsuguda (Odisha) (PTI): In a major boost to tele-communication infrastructure, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated BSNL's 'Swadeshi' 4G stack, marking India's entry into a coveted league of nations that manufacture telecom equipment.

On the occasion of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited’s silver jubilee, the PM also commissioned more than 97,500 mobile 4G towers, including 92,600 4G technology sites of the telecom service provider.

These towers have been built at a cost of around Rs 37,000 crore with 'swadeshi' (indigenous) technology.

The launch of the ‘Swadeshi’ 4G stack marked India's entry into a league of nations such as Denmark, Sweden, South Korea, and China, which manufacture homegrown telecom equipment.

The India-made network is cloud-based, future-ready and can upgrade seamlessly to 5G, an official said.

The rollout of the 'swadeshi' 4G network is a transformative step in line with the Prime Minister’s vision of a Digital India, bridging the digital divide and empowering rural communities, while paving the way for BSNL’s 5G upgrade and integration, an official statement said.

Over 26,700 unconnected villages, including 2,472 of Odisha, in remote, border and left-wing extremism-affected areas will receive connection with this launch.

This will serve over 20 lakh new subscribers, the statement said.

These towers are solar-powered, making them India’s largest cluster of green telecom sites and a step forward in sustainable infrastructure.

This apart, the Prime Minister also unveiled India's 100 per cent 4G saturation network through digital Bharat Nidhi, where 29,000 to 30,000 villages are connected in a mission-mode project.

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Jaipur (PTI): Nine persons, including a woman, have been arrested for allegedly abducting a man and subjecting him to torture in Rajasthan's Ajmer district, police said on Sunday.

The incident took place on Saturday in Gagwana village under the Gegal police station area and was allegedly linked to an ongoing dispute, they said.

According to police, a marriage between a woman and a man from Beer village, had ended in divorce following which she had been living at her parental home. About five months ago, the victim, identified as Jeetu (21), married the woman.

The woman's former in-laws allegedly objected to this marriage, claiming that the issue had not been settled in accordance with community norms, and that the dispute had been ongoing.

Following this, Jeetu was allegedly abducted on Saturday, held captive, and assaulted by the woman's former in-law's. He was allegedly forced to wear a garland of shoes and slippers and made to drink urine, police said.

A video of the incident later surfaced on social media, triggering outrage in the area.

Following the circulation of the video, Jeetu's family staged a protest at the Gegal police station, alleging delay in police action.

Rural Circle Officer Ramchandra Chaudhary reached the spot and assured the family of prompt action. A case was registered on Saturday evening and teams were formed to trace the accused.

Superintendent of Police Harshvardhan Agarwala said nine accused, including a woman, have been arrested and the vehicles used in the crime seized.

Efforts are underway to apprehend the other absconding accused, police said.