Lok Sabha Question No. 6391 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-04-12
Subject: Allocation of Funds from USOF
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: PARAYAMPARANBIL KUTTAPPAN BIJU

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.6391 TO BE ANSWERED ON 12 TH   APRIL, 2017

## ALLOCATION OF FUNDS FROM USOF

## 6391. SHRI P.K. BIJU:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  proposes  to  allocate  funds  from  the  Universal  Service Obligation  Fund  (USOF)  to  the  Telecom  Service  Providers  (TSPs)  to  augment  telecom services in remote areas of the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the  funds  allocated  to  various  TSPs  from  the  USOF  during  each  of  the  last  three years, TSP-wise; and
- (d) the number of villages provided with telecom facility, State/UT-wise?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) & (b) The Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF)   has disbursed subsidies to the Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) to augment telecom services in remote areas of the country.      The  details  of  subsidies  disbursed  from  USOF  to  TSPs  is  annexed  as ANNEXURE-A.
- (c) The funds disbursed to various TSPs from USOF during last three years, TSP wise is annexed as ANNEXURE -B.
- (d) The number of villages  provided  with  telecom  facility,  State/UT-wise is  annexed  as ANNEXURE -C.

Contd…..2/-

## Subsidy disbursed from USOF to TSPs

| Year    |   Funds disbursed from USOF (Rs. in Crore) |
|---------|--------------------------------------------|
| 2002-03 |                                     300    |
| 2003-04 |                                     200    |
| 2004-05 |                                    1314.59 |
| 2005-06 |                                    1766.85 |
| 2006-07 |                                    1500    |
| 2007-08 |                                    1290    |
| 2008-09 |                                    8548.64 |
| 2009-10 |                                    2400    |
| 2010-11 |                                    3100    |
| 2011-12 |                                    1687.96 |
| 2012-13 |                                     625    |
| 2013-14 |                                    2163.45 |
| 2014-15 |                                    2086.98 |
| 2015-16 |                                    3100    |
| 2016-17 |                                    7226.39 |

## ANNEXURE-A

Contd…..3/-

## ANNEXURE -B

Funds disbursed to various TSPs/USPs from USOF during last three years, TSP/USP wise

Rs. in Crore

| USP         | 2014-15   | 2015-16   | 2016-17   |
|-------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| BBNL        | 1351.86   | 2415.10   | 5600.00   |
| BSNL        | 731.40    | 678.85    | 1560.19   |
| CSC e-GSIL  |           |           | 35.70     |
| DWL         | 0.04      | 0.93      | 0.00      |
| GTL         |           |           | 0.06      |
| KEC         | 1.53      |           |           |
| RAILTEL     |           | 3.95      | 27.52     |
| RCIL        | 0.21      | 0.05      |           |
| RCL         |           | 0.01      |           |
| RIL         |           |           | 2.53      |
| RML ISPL    | 0.35      | 0.29      |           |
| TATA        |           | 0.53      |           |
| TERI        | 0.68      | 0.30      | 0.40      |
| VECL        | 0.90      |           |           |
| Grand Total | 2086.98   | 3100.00   | 7226.39   |

## ABBREVIATION OF THE USP

| BBNL      | Bharat Broadband Network Limited                    |
|-----------|-----------------------------------------------------|
| BSNL      | Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited                        |
| CSCe-GSIL | CSCe-Governance Services India Limited              |
| DWL       | Dishnet Wireless Limited                            |
| GTL       | GTL Infrastructure Limited                          |
| KEC       | KEC International Limited                           |
| RAIL TEL  | RAIL TEL Corporation Limited                        |
| RCIL      | Reliance Communications Infrastructure Limited      |
| RCL       | Reliance Communications Limited                     |
| RIL       | Reliance Infocomm Limited                           |
| RML ISPL  | Reuters Market Light Information Services Pvt. Ltd. |
| TATA      | TATA                                                |
| TERI      | The Energy and Resources Institute                  |
| VECL      | Vodafone Essar Cellular Limited                     |

Contd……4/-

## ANNEXURE -C

Number of villages provided with telecom facility from USOF

| Sl. No.   | State/U.T.               | Gram Panchayats lit in BharatNet   | No. of Village Public Telephones (VPTs) provided   | Mobile Services provided in villages under LWE (Tentative*)   |
|-----------|--------------------------|------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1.        | Andaman & Nicobar        | 0                                  | 352                                                |                                                               |
| 2.        | Andhra Pradesh           | 0                                  | 25107                                              | 81                                                            |
| 3.        | Telangana                | 130                                |                                                    | 258                                                           |
| 4.        | Arunachal Pradesh(NE-II) | 0                                  | 2810                                               |                                                               |
| 5.        | Assam                    | 354                                | 24692                                              |                                                               |
| 6.        | Bihar                    | 443                                | 38941                                              | 276                                                           |
| 7.        | Chhattisgarh             | 1264                               | 18328                                              | 735                                                           |
| 8.        | Gujarat                  | 494                                | 18054                                              |                                                               |
| 9.        | Haryana                  | 650                                | 6678                                               |                                                               |
| 10.       | Himachal Pradesh         | 0                                  | 16390                                              |                                                               |
| 11.       | Jammu & Kashmir          | 0                                  | 6385                                               |                                                               |
| 12.       | Jharkhand                | 372                                | 28821                                              | 1173                                                          |
| 13.       | Karnataka                | 4826                               | 27451                                              |                                                               |
| 14.       | Kerala                   | 1129                               | 1321                                               |                                                               |
| 15.       | Madhya Pradesh           | 2588                               | 51986                                              | 33                                                            |
| 16.       | Maharashtra              | 1618                               | 40544                                              | 90                                                            |
| 17.       | Manipur (NE-II)          | 26                                 | 2174                                               |                                                               |
| 18.       | Meghalaya (NE-I)         | 0                                  | 5290                                               |                                                               |
| 19.       | Mizoram (NE-I)           | 0                                  | 704                                                |                                                               |
| 20.       | Nagaland (NE-II)         | 0                                  | 1263                                               |                                                               |
| 21.       | Odisha                   | 462                                | 45215                                              | 372                                                           |
| 22.       | Punjab                   | 237                                | 12065                                              |                                                               |
| 23.       | Rajasthan                | 1213                               | 39568                                              |                                                               |
| 24.       | Sikkim                   | 0                                  | 429                                                |                                                               |
| 25.       | Tamil Nadu               | 0                                  | 15492                                              |                                                               |
| 26.       | Tripura (NE-I)           | 79                                 | 858                                                |                                                               |
| 27.       | Uttar Pradesh            | 1413                               | 97852                                              | 117                                                           |
| 28.       | Uttarakhand              | 288                                | 15271                                              |                                                               |
| 29.       | West Bengal              | 219                                | 37142                                              | 144                                                           |
| 30.       | Chandigarh               | 12                                 |                                                    |                                                               |
| 31.       | Puducherry               | 101                                |                                                    |                                                               |
|           | Total                    | 17,918                             | 5,81,183                                           | 3,279                                                         |

*3279 villages (approx) are covered under the LWE project by installation of  2186 towers out of the 2199 towers planned.

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