Lok Sabha Question No. 245 (STARRED), answered on 2020-03-11
Subject: Internet Connectivity in Rural Areas
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Sanjay Haribhau Jadhav

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK  SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 245 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11 TH  MARCH, 2020

## INTERNET CONNECTIVITY IN RURAL AREAS

## †*245. SHRI SANJAY JADHAV:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) the present status of the scheme of the Government to connect the rural areas of the country particularly the villages/panchayats with internet;
- (b) whether  the  Government  has  achieved  the  targets  fixed  in  this  regard  and  if  so,  the  details thereof;
- (c) the number of villages in the State of Maharashtra connected with internet so far, especially in the Parbhani Parliamentary Constituency; and
- (d) whether  there  has  reportedly  been  any  delay  in  the  completion  of  work  related  to  the  said scheme in many areas and if so, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) to (d) A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

## STATEMENT TO BE LAID ON THE TABLE OF LOK SABHA IN RESPECT OF PARTS (a) to  (d)  OF  LOK  SABHA  STARRED  QUESTION  NO.  *245  FOR  11 TH   MARCH,  2020 REGARDING ' INTERNET CONNECTIVITY IN RURAL AREAS '.

(a) & (b) Internet  is  being  currently  accessed  mainly  through  mobile  wireless  technologies, which at present cover  more than 95% of the population of the country. As per the data collected from  the  Telecom  Service  Providers  (TSPs)  in  2019,  it  is  estimated  that  out  of  total  5,97,618 inhabited  villages,  including  Gram  Panchayats  (as  per  the  Census  2011)  in  the  country,  about 5,69,897 are covered by mobile services. Mobile coverage in the remaining villages is being provided by Telecom Service Providers, and the Government in a phased manner.

BharatNet project is being implemented in a phased manner to provide broadband connectivity  to  all  the  Gram  Panchayats  (approx.  2,50,000)  in  the  country.    As  on  28.02.2020,  by laying 4,24,299 km Optical Fibre Cable (OFC), a total of 1,50,029 GPs have been connected, out of which 1,34,906 Gram Panchayats (GPs)  have been made Service Ready. In addition, 1787 GPs have been provided connectivity through satellite media. In total, 1,36,693 Gram Panchayats (GPs)  have been made Service Ready. The project is targeted to be completed by August 2021.

As part of BharatNet project, the Last Mile Connectivity, through Wi-Fi or any other suitable broadband  access  technology  is  to  be  provided  in  all  the  Gram  Panchayats  with  funding  from Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF). In the 1.23 lakh GPs (approx.) of BharatNet Phase-I, the provisioning of  Wi-Fi Services has  been assigned to CSC e-Governance Services India Limited (a Special Purpose Vehicle under Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology), Government of Rajasthan/RajCOMP Info Services Ltd. (RISL), etc.

CSC e-Governance Services Limited (CSC-SPV) is providing Wi-Fi services in around 1.10 lakh  GPs  across  India  and  out  of  them,  it  is  also  providing  FTTH  connections  to  5  Government Institutions in 77,000 (approx.) GPs. Government of Rajasthan/RISL is providing Wi-Fi services in about 10,000 GPs of the State.

In the 1407 GPs of BharatNet Phase-II, the provisioning of connectivity over satellite media, along with Wi-Fi services, has been assigned to BSNL. As of February 2020, Wi-Fi hotspots have been  installed  in  45,769  Gram  Panchayats  (GPs)  and  out  of  them,  services  are  being  provided  in 18,683 GPs.

In addition, a Comprehensive Telecom Development Plan (CTDP) for mobile connectivity in the  North  Eastern  Region  to  provide  mobile  coverage  in  uncovered  villages  and  along  National Highways is under implementation. As of February 2020, towers for providing mobile services have been installed at 1269 sites and out of them, 1153 are providing services. The project is targeted to be completed by June 2020.

(c) Through mobile wireless technologies, a total 38,420 villages are connected with internet in Maharashtra,  and  a  total  842  villages  are  connected  with  internet  in  Parbhani  Parliamentary Constituency.

Further, under BharatNet project, a total of 15,670 Gram Panchayats (GPs) have been made Service Ready  in Maharashtra. A total of 559 Gram Panchayats have been  made Service Ready  in Parbhani Parliamentary Constituency.

(d) BharatNet is a project of mega nature and the GPs are widely dispersed across the country in rural  and  remote  areas.  All  out  efforts  are  being  made  to  expeditiously  implement the  project. The delay in the implementation of the project is mainly on account of:

- (i) Delay in the initial commencement of the project as the work on the project began in the second half of 2014 due to field survey of GPs and pilot testing of the technology model.
- (ii) In  Phase-I,  only  one  media  (i.e.  is  underground  Optical  Fibre  Cable)has  been  used  to cover GPs, and Right of Way (RoW) issues have delayed the implementation.
- (iii) Under Phase-II, about 65,000 GPs in 8 States are being  implemented under State-led model, and delay in their implementation is also adversely affecting the completion of the Project.

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