Lok Sabha Question No. 5379 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-04-05
Subject: Internet Facility in Villages
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Devji Mansingram Patel

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5379 TO BE ANSWERED ON 5 TH  APRIL, 2023

## INTERNET FACILITY IN VILLAGES

## †5379. SHRI DEVJI M. PATEL:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

(a) whether there is a lack of internet facility in the villages and remote areas of the country including Rajasthan and if so, the details thereof;

(b) whether the Government has launched the Digital Village Scheme to provide free  Wi-Fi hotspot facilities to Gram Panchayats to overcome the said issues and if so, the details thereof;

(c) the main objectives and features of the said scheme and the total number of villages covered under the said scheme across the country including Rajasthan; and

(d) the  total  budget  allocated  and  spent  on  provisioning  LED  street  lighting,  Wi-Fi  hotspot, telemedicine,  distance  education  services,  skill  development  services  in  the  State  of  Rajasthan including Jalore-Sirohi during the last three years?

## ANSWER

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

(a) Government and Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) provide telecommunication connectivity in  the  country  in  a  phased  manner.  As  per  data  provided  by  Telecom  Service  Providers  (TSPs), Department of Telecom field unit and State Government as of October 2022, out of 644131 villages in the country (as per RGI data of 30-11-2019), 608353 villages are covered with Mobile internet connectivity and 599388 villages are covered with 3G or 4G technology. In Rajasthan there are 46077 villages, out of which 42673 (as of October 2022) are covered with mobile connectivity while 41937 villages are covered with 3G or 4G technology.

(b) to (d) The Digital  Village  Pilot  Project  was  initiated  by  the  Ministry  of  Electronics  and Information Technology on 31st October 2018 to provide government-to-citizen, business-to-citizen, education,  health,  skill  development  and  financial  inclusion  services  in  700  villages  (One  Gram Panchayat/ village from each district of all States/ UTs) across the country including 33 villages in Rajasthan, on a pilot basis. Facilities being provided in the above mentioned 700 villages covered under the Digital Village Pilot project are:

- i. Education Service: Courses offered under this project are - Basic Computer Course (BCC), Course on Computer Concept (CCC), Basic Course in Information Technology (BCIT), Tally - Kaushal Praman Patra
- ii. Health Services Tele-Health & Tele-Veterinary consultation
- iii. Financial InclusionFinancial inclusion awareness programme
- iv. Solar panel powered street lights (8 Solar lights per village)
- v. Skill Development in Automotive Technician, Handset Repairing, Field Technician- Home Appliances, and Electrical Technician.
- vi. Government to Citizen Services (G2C) and B2C Services

Rs. 3.298 Crore was allocated and sanctioned for the project implementation in the State of Rajasthan (@Rs. 9,99,500/- for each village covered under the project).

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