Lok Sabha Question No. 607 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-02-06
Subject: Universal Service Obligation Fund
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: ASHOK MAHADEORAO NETE

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.607 TO BE ANSWERED ON 6 TH  FEBRUARY, 2019

## UNIVERSAL SERVICE OBLIGATION FUND

- †607. SHRI ASHOK MAHADEORAO NETE:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government proposes to allocate funds from the Universal Service Obligation Fund to mobile companies in remote areas in the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the allocation made from the said fund to various companies during the last three years; and
- (d) the state-wise number of villages equipped with phone facilities?

## ANSWER

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

(a), (b) & (c)  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).  Details  of  subsidy  disbursed  to  various mobile  companies  from  USOF  under  different  projects  during  the  last  three  years  is enclosed as Annexure-A .

- (d) The  State-wise  number  of  villages,  equipped  with  phone  facilities  under  the USOF is enclosed as Annexure-B.

## Subsidies disbursed to various mobile companies from USOF under different projects during the last three years

Rs. in crore

|   Sl. No. | Mobile Companies               | 2015-16   | 2016-17   | 2017-18   |
|-----------|--------------------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
|         1 | Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited   | 678.85    | 1560.83   | 923.18    |
|         2 | Dishnet Wireless Limited       | 0.93      |           |           |
|         3 | Reliance Communication Limited | 0.01      |           |           |
|         4 | Reliance Infocomm Limited      |           | 2.53      |           |
|         5 | Tata Teleservices Limited      | 0.53      |           |           |

The State-wise number of villages, equipped with phone facilities under the Universal Service Obligation Fund

| Sl. No.   | States                   |   Number of Villages |
|-----------|--------------------------|----------------------|
| 1.        | Andaman &Nicobar Islands |                  352 |
| 2.        | Andhra Pradesh           |                14872 |
| 3.        | Telangana                |                10235 |
| 4.        | Assam                    |                24692 |
| 5.        | Bihar                    |                38941 |
| 6.        | Chhattisgarh             |                18328 |
| 7.        | Gujarat                  |                18054 |
| 8.        | Haryana                  |                 6678 |
| 9.        | Himachal Pradesh         |                17408 |
| 10.       | Jammu &Kashmir           |                 6385 |
| 11.       | Jharkhand                |                28821 |
| 12.       | Karnataka                |                27451 |
| 13.       | Kerala                   |                 1372 |
| 14.       | Madhya Pradesh           |                51986 |
| 15.       | Maharashtra              |                40654 |
| 16.       | Meghalaya                |                 5300 |
| 17.       | Mizoram                  |                  704 |
| 18.       | Tripura                  |                  858 |
| 19.       | Arunachal Pradesh        |                 2810 |
| 20.       | Manipur                  |                 2174 |
| 21.       | Nagaland                 |                 1263 |
| 22.       | Odisha                   |                45215 |
| 23.       | Punjab                   |                12065 |
| 24.       | Rajasthan                |                39568 |
| 25.       | Tamil Nadu               |                15492 |
| 26.       | Uttar Pradesh            |                97852 |
| 27.       | Uttarakhand              |                15381 |
| 28.       | West Bengal              |                37571 |
|           | Total                    |               582482 |

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