Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday said that the company supports net neutrality a hundred per cent and its aim is to connect the whole of India. Addressing a Facebook “Townhall Q&A” session at the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi, Zuckerberg said that Facebook does a lot to support net neutrality both in terms of pushing for regulation and also in building open platforms for developers.

Facebook’s Internet.org initiative, now known as Free Basics, aims to provide select internet websites and apps for free. It has come under severe criticism by advocates of net neutrality for not having an open internet. Zuckerberg deflected criticism from the programme, saying that it provides a neutral platform for developers without any filter to offer free basic services.

The 31-year-old said that people who are petitioning against Free Basics already have access to the internet, pointing out that people without internet access have no way to sign any online petition. He said, “It’s our moral responsibility to look out for people who do not have the internet and don’t have a voice.” He also said that zero-rated services are necessary to connect everybody on the internet.

Zuckerberg claimed that for every 10 people that get access to the internet, one person gets a job and one gets lifted out of poverty. He said that Free Basics is a big opportunity to help develop the economy and reduce poverty in India.