Lok Sabha Question No. 1838 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-07-26
Subject: Telecom Services in Villages
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: BHARTRUHARI MAHTAB

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1838 TO BE ANSWERED ON 26 TH  JULY, 2017

## TELECOM SERVICES IN VILLAGES

## 1838. SHRI BHARTRUHARI MAHTAB:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) the  details  of  the  schemes/  programmes  being  implemented  by  the  Government  for provision of telecom services in unviable rural and remote areas of the country;
- (b) the details of the villages connected  with  the telecom  services under  the said schemes/programmes so far across the country, State-wise and scheme/ programme-wise;
- (c) the  details  of  the  funds  sanctioned  and  utilized  under  the  said  schemes/  programmes during each of the last three years and the current year, scheme/ programme-wise; and
- (d) the  other  steps  taken/being  taken  by  the  Government  to  provide  telecom  services  in each village of the country along with the achievements thereof?

## ANSWER

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

- (a),(b) & (d) The details of the schemes/programmes being implemented by the Government for  provision  of  telecom  services  in  unviable  rural  and  remote  areas  of  the  country  are  given below:
- (i) Comprehensive Telecom Development Plan for the North-Eastern Region (NER): On 10.09.2014, the Government approved a proposal to implement a Comprehensive Telecom Development Plan for the North-Eastern Region (NER).  The Project envisages providing mobile coverage to 8621 identified uncovered villages by installation of about 6673 mobile towers, installation of 321 mobile tower sites along National Highways and strengthening of transmission network in the NER.  The estimated cost of implementation is  Rs.  5336.18  crore.    The  Project  would  be  funded  from  Universal  Service  Obligation Fund (USOF). The State-wise details are at Annexure-I.
- (ii) Mobile  Communication  Services  in  LWE  affected  areas: The  Government  had sanctioned a project to install mobile towers at 2199 locations with a total estimated cost of Rs.3567.58 crore as identified by the Ministry of Home Affairs in 10 States, which are affected by the Left Wing Extremism (LWE). In addition, to increase the coverage in LWE affected  areas,  Government  has  sanctioned  additional  156  locations  for  provision  of Mobile Services. The State-wise details are at Annexure-II.

Contd…2/-

- (iii) Comprehensive Telecom Development Plan for Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep  Islands: Telecom  Commission  has  given  'in  principle'  approval  on 07.11.2014 for Comprehensive Telecom Development Plan including provision of mobile connectivity  for  Andaman  &  Nicobar  Islands  and  Lakshadweep  Islands  with  a  total estimated investment of Rs. 221.05 crore, which consists of the following components:
- (a) Rs 91.16 crores for providing 2G (voice) coverage in uncovered villages.
- (b) Rs 9.40 crores for providing seamless 2G (voice) connectivity along NH.
- (c) Rs 20 crores for augmentation of OFC Network.
- (d) Rs 100.49 crores for augmentation of Satellite system.
- (iv) BharatNet: National  Optical  Fibre  Network  (NOFN)  project,  renamed  as  BharatNet, which is one of the pillars of Digital India Programme, is planned to establish a network infrastructure by connecting  all  Gram  Panchayats  (approx.  2.5  lakh)  in  the  country through  Optical  Fibre  Cable  (OFC) and  by  using  an  optimal  mix  of  underground  fibre, fibre over power lines, radio and satellite media, for providing broadband connectivity by all categories of service providers on non-discriminatory basis.

The project is planned to be implemented in three phases.  Under first phase of the  project,  1  lakh  Gram  Panchayats  (GPs)  is  to  be  connected  by  laying underground OFC by November 2017. Under second phase, connectivity will be provided  to  remaining  1.5  lakh  GPs  in  the  country  using  an  optimal  mix  of underground fibre,  fibre  over  power  lines,  radio  and  satellite  media,  by  March, 2019.  A  state-  of-  the-art  future-proof  network,  including  fibre  between  districts and blocks and with for 5G services and Internet of Things era with underground OFC in ring architecture, is planned to be completed by 2023. State-wise status of BharatNet is at Annexure -III.

(c) The details of the funds sanctioned and utilized under the schemes/programmes during the last three years and the current year is at Annexure-IV.

Contd…3/-

## State-wise details of Locations identified by MHA

| S. N.   | State          | No. of Total Locations identified by MHA   | No. of Mobile Towers Installed   |   No. of additional 156 towers |   Number of villages connected |
|---------|----------------|--------------------------------------------|----------------------------------|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
| 1.      | Andhra Pradesh | 54                                         | 54                               |                              8 |                             74 |
| 2.      | Bihar          | 184                                        | 184                              |                             66 |                            251 |
| 3.      | Chhattisgarh   | 497                                        | 490                              |                             35 |                            669 |
| 4.      | Jharkhand      | 782                                        | 782                              |                             34 |                           1067 |
| 5.      | Maharashtra    | 60                                         | 60                               |                              5 |                             82 |
| 6.      | Madhya Pradesh | 22                                         | 22                               |                              0 |                             30 |
| 7.      | Odisha         | 253                                        | 248                              |                              8 |                            338 |
| 8.      | Telangana      | 173                                        | 173                              |                              0 |                            236 |
| 9.      | Uttar Pradesh  | 78                                         | 78                               |                              0 |                            106 |
| 10.     | West Bengal    | 96                                         | 96                               |                              0 |                            131 |
| Total   | Total          | 2,199                                      | 2,187                            |                            156 |                           2984 |

## Annexure-I

## State-wise details of Mobile Coverage of Uncovered villages in NER

| S. N.   | States            | Mobile Coverage of Uncovered villages in NER   | Mobile Coverage of Uncovered villages in NER   | Mobile Coverage of Uncovered villages in NER   | Mobile Coverage along National Highway in NER   | Mobile Coverage along National Highway in NER   | Transmission Media Plan in NER       | Transmission Media Plan in NER         | Consoli dated             |
|---------|-------------------|------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------|----------------------------------------|---------------------------|
|         |                   | No. of uncovere d villages                     | No. of Tower Planned to be installed           | Total Cost (Rs. In Crore)                      | No. of Towers planned to be installed           | Total Cost (Rs. in Crore)                       | Total length of OFC to be laid (kms) | Total cost (Rs. in Crore) (OFC & Eqpt) | Total Cost (Rs. in Crore) |
| 1       | Arunachal Pradesh | 2805                                           | 1893                                           | 1298.82                                        | 149                                             | 126.64                                          | 1587                                 | 136.44                                 | 1561.90                   |
| 2       | Assam             | 2503                                           | 1874                                           | 1489.57                                        | 33                                              | 27.53                                           | 228                                  | 25.09                                  | 1542.19                   |
| 3       | Manipur           | 528                                            | 384                                            | 291.52                                         | 53                                              | 44.21                                           | 172                                  | 16.31                                  | 352.04                    |
| 4       | Meghalay a        | 2374                                           | 2162                                           | 1368.44                                        | 11                                              | 9.18                                            | 124                                  | 12.77                                  | 1390.39                   |
| 5       | Mizoram           | 252                                            | 227                                            | 201.37                                         | 19                                              | 15.85                                           | 747                                  | 65.26                                  | 282.48                    |
| 6       | Nagaland          | 134                                            | 112                                            | 99.47                                          | 48                                              | 40.04                                           | 154                                  | 17.57                                  | 157.08                    |
| 7       | Tripura           | 2                                              | 2                                              | 2.54                                           | 7                                               | 5.84                                            | 76                                   | 10.98                                  | 19.36                     |
| 8       | Sikkim            | 23                                             | 19                                             | 18.36                                          | 1                                               | 0.83                                            | 126                                  | 11.55                                  | 30.74                     |
|         | Total             | 8621                                           | 6673                                           | 4770.08                                        | 321                                             | 270.13                                          | 3213                                 | 295.97                                 | 5336.18                   |

## Annexure-II

Annexure-III State-wise status of NOFN (BharatNet) as on 09.07.2017

| S.N.   | States/ UTs          | No. of Gram Panchayats (GPs)- Phase I   | Pipe laid (kms.)   | Cable laid (in kms)   | No. of GPs where Pipe laid   | No. of GPs where Cable laid   | GPs Lit   |
|--------|----------------------|-----------------------------------------|--------------------|-----------------------|------------------------------|-------------------------------|-----------|
| 1      | Assam                | 1533                                    | 3799               | 4158                  | 1420                         | 1348                          | 354       |
| 2      | Bihar                | 5754                                    | 12199              | 12940                 | 4967                         | 4742                          | 711       |
| 3      | Chhattisgarh         | 4104                                    | 10213              | 7873                  | 3304                         | 3159                          | 1289      |
| 4.     | Haryana              | 6020                                    | 9776               | 10993                 | 5907                         | 5801                          | 894       |
| 5.     | Jammu & Kashmir      | 388                                     | 427                | 388                   | 214                          | 200                           | 0         |
| 6.     | Karnataka            | 6092                                    | 11784              | 12193                 | 6026                         | 6010                          | 4826      |
| 7.     | Kerala               | 977                                     | 720                | 830                   | 1129                         | 1129                          | 1129      |
| 8.     | Madhya Pradesh       | 12655                                   | 35904              | 31113                 | 12026                        | 11643                         | 3599      |
| 9.     | Maharashtra          | 15301                                   | 26696              | 25129                 | 12664                        | 11843                         | 1992      |
| 10.    | Punjab               | 8049                                    | 9810               | 9153                  | 6989                         | 6745                          | 637       |
| 11.    | Rajasthan            | 8194                                    | 21069              | 20268                 | 7114                         | 7046                          | 1725      |
| 12.    | Uttar Pradesh        | 27974                                   | 48556              | 44678                 | 25363                        | 23409                         | 2785      |
| 13.    | Uttarakhand          | 1863                                    | 2792               | 2636                  | 1503                         | 1463                          | 431       |
| 14.    | West Bengal          | 2637                                    | 5175               | 4876                  | 1822                         | 1791                          | 231       |
| 15.    | Andaman & Nicobar    | 69                                      | 0                  | 0                     | 0                            | 0                             | 0         |
| 16.    | Chandigarh           | 12                                      | 18                 | 19                    | 12                           | 12                            | 12        |
| 17.    | Arunachal Pradesh    | 863                                     | 1558               | 656                   | 609                          | 220                           | 0         |
| 18.    | Nagaland             | 994                                     | 2614               | 1475                  | 831                          | 462                           | 0         |
| 19.    | Manipur              | 904                                     | 333                | 232                   | 154                          | 122                           | 26        |
| 20.    | Mizoram              | 763                                     | 735                | 438                   | 125                          | 73                            | 0         |
| 21.    | Tripura              | 1021                                    | 1688               | 1584                  | 834                          | 810                           | 79        |
| 22.    | Meghalaya            | 1208                                    | 1212               | 525                   | 433                          | 191                           | 0         |
| 23.    | Gujarat              | 6905                                    | 10518              | 9542                  | 5046                         | 4478                          | 1018      |
| 24.    | Puducherry           | 98                                      | 82                 | 92                    | 98                           | 98                            | 101       |
| 25.    | Andhra Pradesh       | 1673                                    | 2627               | 766                   | 520                          | 283                           | 0         |
| 26.    | Telangana            | 2017                                    | 4538               | 4462                  | 2038                         | 2038                          | 206       |
| 27.    | Odisha               | 3860                                    | 8121               | 7970                  | 3109                         | 3108                          | 517       |
| 28.    | Jharkhand            | 2713                                    | 5012               | 4669                  | 1864                         | 1775                          | 529       |
| 29.    | Himachal Pradesh     | 252                                     | 513                | 481                   | 155                          | 153                           | 56        |
| 30.    | Daman & Diu          | 15                                      | 0                  | 0                     | 0                            | 0                             | 0         |
| 31.    | Dadra & Nagar Haveli | 20                                      | 0                  | 0                     | 0                            | 0                             | 0         |
| 32.    | Sikkim               | 52                                      | 0                  | 0                     | 0                            | 0                             | 0         |
| 33.    | Lakshadweep          | 10                                      | 0                  | 0                     | 0                            | 0                             | 0         |
| 34.    | Tamil Nadu           | 0                                       | 0                  | 0                     | 0                            | 0                             | 0         |
| 35.    | Goa*                 | -                                       | -                  | -                     | -                            | -                             | -         |
|        | Total                | 124127                                  | 238489             | 220139                | 106276                       | 100152                        | 23147     |

*All the GPs of Goa are already connected with Optical Fibre

Contd…5/-

| Scheme /Programme-wise funds utilized under the USOF schemes during each of the last three years and current financial year (April 2017 till date)   | Scheme /Programme-wise funds utilized under the USOF schemes during each of the last three years and current financial year (April 2017 till date)   | Scheme /Programme-wise funds utilized under the USOF schemes during each of the last three years and current financial year (April 2017 till date)   | Scheme /Programme-wise funds utilized under the USOF schemes during each of the last three years and current financial year (April 2017 till date)   | Scheme /Programme-wise funds utilized under the USOF schemes during each of the last three years and current financial year (April 2017 till date)   | Scheme /Programme-wise funds utilized under the USOF schemes during each of the last three years and current financial year (April 2017 till date)   |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|                                                                                                                                                      | USOF                                                                                                                                                 | Figures in Crore                                                                                                                                     | Figures in Crore                                                                                                                                     | Figures in Crore                                                                                                                                     | Figures in Crore                                                                                                                                     |
| S. N.                                                                                                                                                | Schemes/ Programmes                                                                                                                                  | 2014-15                                                                                                                                              | 2015-16                                                                                                                                              | 2016-17                                                                                                                                              | 2017-18                                                                                                                                              |
| 1                                                                                                                                                    | BharatNet                                                                                                                                            | 1351.86                                                                                                                                              | 2415.10                                                                                                                                              | 5600.00                                                                                                                                              | 00                                                                                                                                                   |
| 2                                                                                                                                                    | Mobile Communication Services in LWE affected areas                                                                                                  | 596.51                                                                                                                                               | 617.05                                                                                                                                               | 280.68                                                                                                                                               | 39.49                                                                                                                                                |
| 3                                                                                                                                                    | Satellite Augmentation(Andaman & Nicobar Islands)                                                                                                    | 00                                                                                                                                                   | 8.10                                                                                                                                                 | 00                                                                                                                                                   | 00                                                                                                                                                   |
| 4                                                                                                                                                    | Satellite Augmentation(Lakshadweep Islands)                                                                                                          | 00                                                                                                                                                   | 00                                                                                                                                                   | 4.65                                                                                                                                                 | 00                                                                                                                                                   |

************