Lok Sabha Question No. 1293 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-14
Subject: Telecom Policy
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Arun Kumar Sagar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1293 TO BE ANSWERED ON 14 TH  DECEMBER, 2022

## TELECOM POLICY

## †1293. SHRI ARUN KUMAR SAGAR:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the provision of Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) has been made under the Telecom Policy, 1999 and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the details of the percentage of gross revenue to be deposited in this fund by the telecom operator companies as per the provision of the Telecom Policy;
- (c) whether all telecom operator companies have deposited this amount of the gross revenue in USOF as per rules, if so, the details of amount of funds deposited as on date;
- (d) the State-wise and location-wise funds spent by the Government from USOF for mobile network  in  the  country  especially  in  backward  and  Scheduled  Castes  dominated  areas  of  the country during the last five years along with the achievements made thereunder; and
- (e) the amount of funds remained in USOF as on the date?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS (SHRI DEVUSINH CHAUHAN)

- (a) As envisaged in the New Telecom Policy 1999, Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) was established under Indian Telegraph (Amendment) Act, 2003 which came into force from 1 st April, 2002.
- (b) & (c) As per the New Telecom Policy 1999, the percentage of revenue share towards universal  access  levy  was  to  be  decided  by  the  Government  in  consultation  with  Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). At present, as per license agreement the License fee shall be 8% of the Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR), inclusive of USO Levy which is 5% of the AGR. In accordance to the License Agreement, Telecom Service Providers are depositing the Licence Fee. As on 31.10.2022, total of Rs. 1,33,600.15 Crore is collected as Universal Access Levy under USOF.
- (d) The  State/UT-wise  details  of  funds  disbursed/  spent  during  last  five  years  (2017-18  to 2021-22) under various USOF Schemes for providing Mobile Network in the Country including Backward and Scheduled Castes dominated areas is given in Annexure-I . Physical achievements made under the said Schemes during last five years (2017-18 to 2021-22) is given in AnnexureII.
- (e) An amount of Rs. 64,863.28 Crore is available in the USO Fund at the end of October 2022.

Annexure referred to in Part (d) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1293 to be answered on 14.12.2022

The State/UT-wise details of funds disbursed/ spent during last five years (2017-18 to 202122) under various USOF Schemes for providing Mobile Network in the Country including Backward and Scheduled Castes dominated areas

| Sl. No.   | Name of States /UT   |   Figures in Rs. crore |
|-----------|----------------------|------------------------|
| 1         | Andhra Pradesh       |                 101.63 |
| 2         | Assam                |                 281.48 |
| 3         | Bihar                |                 244.62 |
| 4         | Chhattisgarh         |                 505.07 |
| 5         | Gujarat              |                  12    |
| 6         | Himachal Pradesh     |                   9.42 |
| 7         | Jammu &Kashmir       |                   4.15 |
| 8         | Jharkhand            |                 654.39 |
| 9         | Karnataka            |                   1.5  |
| 10        | Lakshadweep          |                   9.99 |
| 11        | Maharashtra          |                  83.65 |
| 12        | Madhya Pradesh       |                  31.12 |
| 13        | NE-I                 |                 110.41 |
| 14        | NE-II                |                 264.65 |
| 15        | Odisha               |                 409.07 |
| 16        | Rajasthan            |                   8.11 |
| 17        | Telangana            |                  92.31 |
| 18        | Uttar Pradesh        |                  86.21 |
| 19        | West Bengal          |                  91.92 |
|           | Total                |                3001.7  |

## ANNEXURE-II

Annexure referred to in Part (d) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1293 to be answered on 14.12.2022

## Physical achievements made during last five years (2017-18 to 2021-22) under various USOF Schemes to provide Mobile Network in the Country including Backward and Scheduled Castes dominated areas

| S. No.   | Name of States/UT   |   Number of Towers Installed |
|----------|---------------------|------------------------------|
| 1        | Assam               |                          439 |
| 2        | Sikkim              |                            8 |
| 3        | Manipur             |                          404 |
| 4        | Mizoram             |                          214 |
| 5        | Nagaland            |                          152 |
| 6        | Tripura             |                            3 |
| 7        | Arunachal Pradesh   |                          138 |
| 8        | Andhra Pradesh      |                            8 |
| 9        | Bihar               |                           76 |
| 10       | Chhattisgarh        |                           35 |
| 11       | Jharkhand           |                           34 |
| 12       | Maharashtra         |                            5 |
| 13       | Madhya Pradesh      |                           17 |
| 14       | Odisha              |                            8 |
| 15       | Telangana           |                            0 |
| 16       | Uttar Pradesh       |                           26 |
| 17       | West Bengal         |                            0 |
| 18       | Gujrat              |                           39 |
| 19       | Himachal Pradesh    |                           22 |
| 20       | Jammu and Kashmir   |                           94 |
| 21       | Ladakh              |                            0 |
| 22       | Karnataka           |                            3 |
| 23       | Rajasthan           |                           27 |
| 24       | Uttarakhand         |                            9 |
| 25       | Lakshadweep         |                           10 |
| Total    | Total               |                         1766 |

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