Lok Sabha Question No. 2941 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-10
Subject: Communication Network Coverage in Madhya Pradesh
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Riti Pathak

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2941 TO BE ANSWERED ON 10 TH   JULY, 2019

## COMMUNICATION NETWORK COVERAGE IN MADHYA PRADESH

## †2941. SHRIMATI RITI PATHAK:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has any data regarding communication network coverage in Madhya Pradesh;
- (b) if so, the details thereof, district-wise; and
- (c) the  steps  taken  or  being  taken  by  the  Government  to  increase  communication  network coverage in remote forest areas of the said State?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS, LAW & JUSTICE AND ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD)

(a) & (b) A  communication  network  basically  includes  telephone  penetration  (wireless  and wireline) in rural and urban areas of the country. As the licenses are given service area wise, therefore the data is also maintained in the Department service area wise and not district wise. The number of connections,  teledensity  (percentage  of  population  covered)  and  the  percentage  share  of  Madhya Pradesh Service Area in total number of connections in India as on 30 th April 2019 are as under:

| Service Area   | Number of connections ( in Million)   | Number of connections ( in Million)   | Number of connections ( in Million)   | Number of connections ( in Million)   | Number of connections ( in Million)   | Teledensity ( in %)   | Share of Madhya Pradesh in Total telephone connection in India ( in %)   |
|----------------|---------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|-----------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Service Area   | Rural                                 | Urban                                 | Total                                 | Wireline                              | Wireless                              | Teledensity ( in %)   | Share of Madhya Pradesh in Total telephone connection in India ( in %)   |
| Madhya Pradesh | 34.39                                 | 41.68                                 | 76.07                                 | 0.92                                  | 75.15                                 | 70.36                 | 6.43                                                                     |

Note: Madhya Pradesh service area includes the state of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

- ( c) USOF is implementing projects to provide mobile connectivity in remote and rural uncovered areas. A project to provide mobile service in LWE (Left Wing Extremism) affected areas of Madhya Pradesh is being implemented. Under Phase-I  of this project  22 towers have been set up and are radiating.  Under Phase-II a provision has been made to install 36 towers in the State out of which  26 are in Balaghat and 10 in Mandla  District.

In addition, under the flagship programme BharatNet, the Government plans to create network infrastructure for providing Broadband connectivity to all Gram Panchayats (GPs) (approx. 2,50,000) in the country, including Madhya Pradesh.  As on 1 st July 2019, a total of 22,911 Gram Panchayats (GPs) in the State of Madhya Pradesh have been connected, out of which 12,725 GPs have been made service ready.

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