Lok Sabha Question No. 897 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-02-07
Subject: Allocation of Funds from USOF
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: ASHOK MAHADEORAO NETE

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 897 TO BE ANSWERED ON 7 TH  FEBRUARY, 2018

## ALLOCATION OF FUNDS FROM USOF

†897. SHRI ASHOK MAHADEORAO NETE:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  proposes  to  allocate  funds  from  Universal  Service Obligation  Funds  (USOF)  to  mobile  companies  for  providing  telecom  services  in  the remote areas of the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the  total  funds  allocated  to  various  mobile  companies  from  these  funds  during each of the last three years and the current year; and
- (d) the  State-wise  number  of  villages,  provided  with  telecom  facilities  under  the USOF?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE (IC) OF THE MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS & MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS (SHRI MANOJ SINHA)

- (a) to (c) Yes  Madam.  Subsidies  are  provided  to  mobile  companies  for  mobile connectivity  in  inaccessible,  rural  and  remote  areas  of  the  country  including  North Eastern  Region,  Left  Wing  Extremism  Affected  areas,  Andaman  and  Nicobar  Islands and Lakshadweep from Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF). Subsidy disbursed to various Mobile companies from USOF under different projects during the last three years and current year is enclosed as Annexure-A .
- (d) The  State-wise  number  of  villages,  provided  with  telecom  facilities  under  the USOF is enclosed as Annexure-B.

Contd……2/-

Subsidy disbursed to various Mobile companies from USOF under different projects during the last three years and current year

Rs. in crore

|   Sl. No. | Mobile Companies                | 2014-15   | 2015-16   | 2016-17   | 2017-18   |
|-----------|---------------------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
|         1 | Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited    | 731.40    | 678.85    | 1560.83   | 567.58    |
|         2 | Dishnet Wireless Limited        | 0.04      | 0.93      |           |           |
|         3 | Reliance Communication Limited  |           | 0.01      |           |           |
|         4 | Reliance Infocomm Limited       |           |           | 2.53      |           |
|         5 | Tata Teleservices Limited       |           | 0.53      |           |           |
|         6 | Vodafone Essar Cellular Limited | 0.90      |           |           |           |

Contd…….3/-

## The State-wise number of villages, provided with telecom facilities under the Universal Service Obligation Fund

| Sl. No.   | States            |   Number of Villages |
|-----------|-------------------|----------------------|
| 1.        | Andaman & Nicobar |                  352 |
| 2.        | Andhra Pradesh    |                25107 |
| 3.        | Assam             |                24692 |
| 4.        | Bihar             |                38941 |
| 5.        | Chhattisgarh      |                18328 |
| 6.        | Gujarat           |                18054 |
| 7.        | Haryana           |                 6678 |
| 8.        | Himachal Pradesh  |                17408 |
| 9.        | Jammu & Kashmir   |                 6385 |
| 10.       | Jharkhand         |                28821 |
| 11.       | Karnataka         |                27451 |
| 12.       | Kerala            |                 1372 |
| 13.       | Madhya Pradesh    |                51986 |
| 14.       | Maharashtra       |                40654 |
| 15.       | Meghalaya         |                 5300 |
| 16.       | Mizoram           |                  704 |
| 17.       | Tripura           |                  858 |
| 18.       | Arunachal Pradesh |                 2810 |
| 19.       | Manipur           |                 2174 |
| 20.       | Nagaland          |                 1263 |
| 21.       | Odisha            |                45215 |
| 22.       | Punjab            |                12065 |
| 23.       | Rajasthan         |                39568 |
| 24.       | Tamil Nadu        |                15492 |
| 25.       | Uttar Pradesh     |                97852 |
| 26.       | Uttarakhand       |                15381 |
| 27.       | West Bengal       |                37571 |
|           | Total             |               582482 |

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