Lok Sabha Question No. 1161 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-14
Subject: Upgradation of Digital Infrastructure in Rural Villages
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Dayanidhi Maran

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1161

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 14.12.2022

## UPGRADATION OF DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE IN RURAL VILLAGES

## 1161.  SHRI DAYANIDHI MARAN:

Will the Minister of ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has considered or reviewed any new schemes or proposals for upgrading digital infrastructure, last mile connectivity and increasing digital literacy in rural villages and if so, the details thereof;
- (b)  whether  the  Government  has  considered  or  reviewed  any  partnerships  with  other  ministries  or non-governmental  organizations  or  private  players  for  upgrading  digital  infrastructure,  last  mile connectivity and increasing digital literacy in rural villages and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the list of schemes and activities proposed by the Government towards this goal since 2014 and the details of their implementation and achievements itemised, State/UT-wise; and
- (d) the details of the achievements of the National Broadband Mission and the current status of goals like 'Broadband access to all villages by 2022, increasing tower density from 0.42 to 1.0 tower per thousand of population by 2024' itemised, State UT-wise?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI RAJEEV CHANDRASEKHAR)

- (a): Yes,  Sir.  As  per  the  input  received  from  the  Department  of  Telecommunications  (DoT), BharatNet  project  is  being  implemented  in  a  phased  manner  to  create  a  network  to  connect  Gram Panchayats  (GPs)/  villages  across  the  country  with  broadband.  This  infrastructure  is  leased  to Telecom Service Providers /Internet Service Providers for providing of Internet connectivity in GPs / rural  areas,  including  villages,  government  institutions,  schools  and  private  areas.  Further,  on 30.6.2021, in principle approval has been accorded for extending BharatNet beyond GPs upto villages in the country.
- (b): Yes, Sir. The following steps have been taken by DoT to enhance the utilisation of BharatNet in rural areas:
- (i) About  108  agreements  have  been  entered  into  with  service  providers  for  providing broadband  services  across  various  States  by  utilising  BharatNet  Phase-I  network  in  the country. Out of these, six agreements have been signed for  providing services  at the panIndia level.
- (ii) Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has developed a Franchisee Management System for on  boarding  franchisees  and  revenue-share  partners  of  BSNL/Bharat  Broadband  Network Limited and over 1,946 franchisees have been engaged.
- (iii) Interactions have been held with the user Ministries/Departments to ascertain the demand for high-speed data connections for  institutions running in rural areas.
- (iv) A  demand  registration  portal  (https://ruralfiber.bsnl.co.in)  has  been  developed  and  shared with Ministries/Departments.
- (v) An online portal (https://bharatnetlive.bbnlindia.in/UNMS/index.jsp) has been developed for viewing the live network status upto the GP level:
- (vi) BSNL, on 30.5.2022,has circulated a draft agreement/proposal among user Ministries/Departments  for  providing  Fibre  To  The  Home  (FTTH)  at  the  GP  level  in government institutions on the BharatNet network.
- (vii) In eight States, State-led special purpose vehicles are responsible for utilisation.

India is among the largest Internet population with 82crore out of 120 crore citizen online and the rest of the population too is expected to be online in the near future. For transforming citizen into digital nagriks. Government of India has approved a scheme titled Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA) in February 2017, to usher in digital literacy in rural India by covering six crore rural households with one person per household. The scheme aims to enable the beneficiaries to operate computers/digital access devices (like tablets, smart phones, etc.), send and receive emails, browse  the Internet, access government  services, search for information, undertake cashless transactions,  etc.,  and  hence  use  information  technology  to  actively  participate  in  the  process  of nation-building. As on 8.12.2022, a total of around 6.61 crore beneficiaries have been enrolled and 5.67  crore  have  been  trained,  out  of  which  4.19  crore  beneficiaries  have  been  certified  under  the scheme. State-wise details are at Annex-I.

(c): Yes, Sir. A list of schemes and activities undertaken by the Government towards the said goals along with the details of their implementation and achievements, is at Annex-II.

(d): Under the BharatNet Project, 1,80,705 GPs have been made service-ready till November 2022. State/UT-wise information is at Annexure-III. State/UT-wise tower density is at Annex-IV.

******

Annex-I State-wise status of the PMGDISHA Scheme

| S. No.   | State /Union Territory                   | Enrolled    | Trained     | Certified   |
|----------|------------------------------------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
| 1        | Andaman and Nicobar Islands              | 3,847       | 1,739       | 990         |
| 2        | Andhra Pradesh                           | 18,46,580   | 14,77,696   | 10,42,646   |
| 3        | Arunachal Pradesh                        | 7,313       | 5,031       | 3,275       |
| 4        | Assam                                    | 26,68,951   | 23,20,298   | 18,46,457   |
| 5        | Bihar                                    | 71,94,401   | 63,70,649   | 46,52,762   |
| 6        | Chandigarh                               | 0           | 0           | 0           |
| 7        | Chhattisgarh                             | 25,04,227   | 21,55,181   | 14,12,000   |
| 8        | Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu | 9,851       | 7,301       | 5,309       |
| 9        | Delhi                                    | 6,935       | 5,561       | 3,941       |
| 10       | Goa                                      | 55,817      | 50,664      | 37,259      |
| 11       | Gujarat                                  | 27,59,449   | 24,14,458   | 17,73,700   |
| 12       | Haryana                                  | 18,70,129   | 15,86,848   | 11,99,025   |
| 13       | Himachal Pradesh                         | 4,80,639    | 3,63,134    | 2,65,428    |
| 14       | Jammu and Kashmir                        | 6,99,622    | 546725      | 394972      |
| 15       | Jharkhand                                | 24,62,522   | 19,99,143   | 14,63,887   |
| 16       | Karnataka                                | 12,68,143   | 9,49,884    | 6,15,888    |
| 17       | Kerala                                   | 56,214      | 27,104      | 21,389      |
| 18       | Lakshadweep                              | 136         | 35          | 0           |
| 19       | Madhya Pradesh                           | 55,23,038   | 4894890     | 3617690     |
| 20       | Maharashtra                              | 55,82,878   | 47,77,943   | 34,38,837   |
| 21       | Manipur                                  | 18,745      | 8,907       | 5,593       |
| 22       | Meghalaya                                | 1,45,780    | 1,00,718    | 67,542      |
| 23       | Mizoram                                  | 26,655      | 20,030      | 12,304      |
| 24       | Nagaland                                 | 6,620       | 4,612       | 3,182       |
| 25       | Odisha                                   | 32,17,942   | 26,81,140   | 20,24,613   |
| 26       | Puducherry                               | 17,732      | 11,791      | 7,867       |
| 27       | Punjab                                   | 16,81,508   | 14,46,893   | 11,09,947   |
| 28       | Rajasthan                                | 38,81,587   | 33,44,123   | 24,39,907   |
| 29       | Sikkim                                   | 24,588      | 21,252      | 15,626      |
| 30       | Tamil Nadu                               | 14,12,781   | 11,26,252   | 8,21,623    |
| 31       | Telangana                                | 10,83,859   | 8,56,956    | 5,82,598    |
| 32       | Tripura                                  | 3,16,201    | 2,45,479    | 1,96,927    |
| 33       | Uttarakhand                              | 7,55,389    | 638358      | 4,74,392    |
| 34       | Uttar Pradesh                            | 1,60,37,929 | 1,42,46,329 | 1,07,75,868 |
| 35       | West Bengal                              | 24,61,868   | 20,32,141   | 15,80,724   |
| 36       | Ladakh                                   | 24,669      | 2,18,88     | 17,316      |
|          | Total                                    | 6,61,14,545 | 5,67,61,153 | 4,19,31,484 |

Source: HRD Division, MeitY

## List of schemes and activities and details of their implementation and achievements

1. Mobile  services  in  Uncovered  villages  in  Assam,  Manipur,  Mizoram,  Nagaland,  Tripura, Sikkim  and  Arunachal  Pradesh  (National  Highways  only)  of  North  East  Region  and  seamless coverage along National Highway

Under  this  scheme,  mobile  connectivity  was  to  be  provided  by  setting  up  2,004  towers  in  the uncovered villages and along National Highways of Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh (National Highways only) of North-East Region. The Agreements were signed with Bharti Airtel Ltd. and Bharti Hexacom Ltd. on 8.12.2017 for implementation of the  project.  Though  the  Agreement  with  the  Implementation  Agencies  (Bharti  Airtel  Ltd./Bharti Hexacom Ltd.) is for providing 2G services, the Implementation Agencies, on their own, have been providing 4G services, along with 2G services, at about 90% of the tower sites. A total of 1,358 sites have been installed and are providing services. The installation work is complete for feasible sites. State-wise details are as follows:

| S. No.   | State             | No. of towers (as per agreement)   | Towers installed and providing services   | Coverage provided by towers   | Coverage provided by towers   |
|----------|-------------------|------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|
|          |                   | No. of towers (as per agreement)   | Towers installed and providing services   | Villages covered              | NH Covered                    |
| 1        | Assam             | 983                                | 439                                       | 530                           | 25                            |
| 2        | Sikkim            | 20                                 | 8                                         | 9                             | 0                             |
| 3        | Manipur           | 437                                | 404                                       | 382                           | 55                            |
| 4        | Mizoram           | 246                                | 214                                       | 213                           | 17                            |
| 5        | Nagaland          | 160                                | 152                                       | 112                           | 45                            |
| 6        | Tripura           | 9                                  | 3                                         | -                             | 3                             |
| 7        | Arunachal Pradesh | 149                                | 138                                       | -                             | 138                           |
| Total    | Total             | 2,004                              | 1,358                                     | 1,246                         | 283                           |

Note: A number of villages and NH Sites could not be covered due to various reasons, such as forest clearance, Defence clearance, accessibility issues, land record issues, villages washed out, villages not found, State mismatch, etc. About 332 villages could not be covered due pre-existence of mobile coverage.

2. Provision  of  4G  based  mobile  services  in  identified  uncovered  villages  and  along National Highways in Meghalaya

The project was approved on 23.05.2018 and as per the approval, the work has been awarded to M/s Bharti  Hexacom  Ltd  for  1,164  uncovered  villages  and  11  sites  along  National  Highways  in Meghalaya on 4.9.2020 for provisioning of 4G mobile services at an estimated cost of Rs. 971.96 crore (Including add-on order dated 16.09.2022).  As of October 2022, a total of 316 sites have been installed  and  commissioned,  covering  475  villages.  The  project  is  targeted  to  be  completed  by March  2023.  Further,  528  sites  covering  additional  723  villages  have  been  added  in  the  project targeted to be completed by May 2024.

## 3. Provision  of  4G-based  mobile  services  in  identified  uncovered  villages  in  Arunachal Pradesh and two districts of Assam (KarbiAnglong and Dima Hasao)

For provisioning of 4G mobile services at an estimated cost of Rs. 1,255.5 crore, the work has been awarded to M/s Bharti Hexacom Limited for 1683 villages of Arunachal Pradesh on 29.10.2021 and to M/s Reliance JioInfocommLimited for 691 villages of 2 districts of Assam on 1.11.2021. As of October 2022, survey work in all 1,683 villages of Arunachal Pradesh and 680 villages out of 691 villages of two Districts of Assam have been completed. So far, in Arunachal Pradesh 32 sites have been installed and commissioned, covering 45 villages. In two districts of Assam, 58 sites have been installed and commissioned, covering 70 villages.

## 4. Scheme for border areas and other priority areas

Tender for provision of mobile service in 354 uncovered villages of border villages of Jammu and Kashmir,  Ladakh,  Himachal  Pradesh,  Uttar  Pradesh,  Bihar,  Rajasthan,  Gujarat,  Uttarakhand  and other  priority  areas  was  floated  on  17.10.2019.  Agreement  has  been  signed  on  28.04.2020  with implementing agency, i.e., M/s Reliance JioInfocomm Ltd.

Further, an additional order for covering 55 uncovered villages under the scheme has been issued to M/s RJIL vide letter dated 6.9.2021.  Implementation work is under progress and 294 villages have been covered by installing 273 mobile towers. Details are as follows:

| S. No.   | State/ Union Territory   |   Total no. of villages as per agreement |   No. of deleted villages | No. villages added   |   Net total villages to be covered |   No. of towers installed |   No. of villages covered |
|----------|--------------------------|------------------------------------------|---------------------------|----------------------|------------------------------------|---------------------------|---------------------------|
| 1        | Bihar                    |                                        8 |                         0 | 0                    |                                  8 |                         5 |                         8 |
| 2        | West Bengal              |                                        1 |                         0 | 0                    |                                  1 |                         1 |                         1 |
| 3        | Gujarat                  |                                       70 |                        10 | 2                    |                                 62 |                        45 |                        55 |
| 4        | Himachal Pradesh         |                                       59 |                        16 |                      |                                 43 |                        35 |                        40 |
| 5        | Jammu andKashmir         |                                       87 |                        13 | 11                   |                                 85 |                        61 |                        63 |
| 6        | Ladakh                   |                                       57 |                         5 | 10                   |                                 62 |                        56 |                        56 |
| 7        | Karnataka                |                                        3 |                         0 | 0                    |                                  3 |                         3 |                         3 |
| 8        | Madhya Pradesh           |                                        1 |                         1 | 0                    |                                  0 |                         0 |                         0 |
| 9        | Rajasthan                |                                       31 |                         3 | 4                    |                                 32 |                        30 |                        30 |
| 10       | Uttar Pradesh            |                                        9 |                         1 |                      |                                  8 |                         7 |                         8 |
| 11       | Uttarakhand              |                                       28 |                         3 | 28                   |                                 53 |                        30 |                        30 |
|          | Total                    |                                      354 |                        52 | 55                   |                                357 |                       273 |                       294 |

## 5. 502 Aspirational District villages (Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar)

The  scheme  has  been  planned  for  provisioning  of  4G  based  Mobile  Service  in  502  uncovered villages of Aspirational Districts of  four  states  (Uttar  Pradesh,  Bihar,  Madhya  Pradesh  & Rajasthan)at an estimated cost of Rs. 686.71 crore. Tender for selecting the implementing agencies was floated on 19.5.2020. Agreement has been signed with the Project Implementing Agencies, i.e., M/s RJIL for Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh Bidding Unit, M/s Bharati Airtel Ltd. for Bihar bidding unit and M/s Bharati Hexacom Ltd. for Rajasthan bidding unit.  So far, 106 villages have been covered by installing 132 mobile towers in the State. State-wise list of 502 uncovered villages of Aspirational Districts of 4 states:

| S. No.   | State          |   No. of Aspirational districts |   No. of villages to be covered |   No. of towers to be installed |   No. of Sites commissioned |   No. of Villages covered |
|----------|----------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|-----------------------------|---------------------------|
| 1        | Bihar          |                               5 |                              80 |                              62 |                          23 |                        40 |
| 2        | Madhya Pradesh |                               8 |                             232 |                             221 |                          51 |                        56 |
| 3        | Uttar Pradesh  |                               6 |                              22 |                              20 |                          19 |                        19 |
| 4        | Rajasthan      |                               5 |                             195 |                             186 |                          13 |                        17 |
|          | Total          |                              24 |                             529 |                             489 |                         106 |                       132 |

## 6. Remaining 7,287 Aspirational District villages (Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Odisha)

A  scheme  for  7,287  uncovered  villages  has  been  approved  by  Cabinet  on  17.11.2021  for provisioning  of  4G-based  mobile  services  in  44  Aspirational  Districts  of  five  States  of  Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Odisha. Based on the outcome of a competitive bidding process, agreements with M/s RJIL for three States and M/s BAL for two States have been signed  on  20.5.2022,  at  a  cost  of  Rs.  3765.47  crore.  Survey  work  has  commenced.  Completion targeted by November 2023. State-wise details of the 7,287 uncovered villages of 44 Aspirational Districts of five States are as follows:

| S. No.   | State          |   No. of Aspirational Districts | No. of villages to be covered   |
|----------|----------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh |                               3 | 1218                            |
| 2        | Chhattisgarh   |                               8 | 699                             |
| 3        | Jharkhand      |                              19 | 827                             |
| 4        | Maharashtra    |                               4 | 610                             |
| 5        | Odisha         |                              10 | 3,933                           |
| Total    | Total          |                              44 | 7,287                           |

## 7. Scheme  for  Mobile  Communication  Services  in  Left  Wing  Extremism  (LWE)  Affected Phase-I

Total 2,355 sites were approved under LWE Phase-I Project. Out of these 2,343 sites are radiating. Project completed. State-wise status of installed mobile towers is as follows:

| Sl. No.   | State   | Total identified sites under LWEPhase I Projected   | Sites providing services   |
|-----------|---------|-----------------------------------------------------|----------------------------|

| 1     | Andhra Pradesh   | 62    | 62    |
|-------|------------------|-------|-------|
| 2     | Bihar            | 250   | 250   |
| 3     | Chhattisgarh     | 532   | 525   |
| 4     | Jharkhand        | 816   | 816   |
| 5     | Maharashtra      | 65    | 65    |
| 6     | Madhya Pradesh   | 22    | 22    |
| 7     | Odisha           | 261   | 256   |
| 8     | Telangana        | 173   | 173   |
| 9     | Uttar Pradesh    | 78    | 78    |
| 10    | West Bengal      | 96    | 96    |
| Total | Total            | 2,355 | 2,343 |

As per requirement, a proposal for upgrade from 2G to 4G technology at all LWE-I sites and operation and maintenance of existing sites till upgrade has been approved on 27.4.2022. The Action has been initiated for implementation of the project at estimated cost of Rs 541.80 crore and Rs 1,884.59 crore (excluding  taxes  and  levies)  respectively.  The  work  has  been  awarded  to  BSNL  as  the  sites  were commissioned by BSNL. BSNL has floated the tender for award of the work.

## 8. Scheme  for  Mobile  Communication  Services  in  Left  Wing  Extremism  (LWE)  Affected Phase II

Tender  was  approved  and  agreements  have  been  signed  on  30-09-2021  with  M/s  Reliance JioInfocomm Ltd. (RJIL) for Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Odisha on and on 0110-2021 with M/s Bharti Airtel Ltd. (BAL) for Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh  and  West  Bengal.  As  of  October  2022  a  total  of  224  mobile  towers  and  associated infrastructure  have  been  installed  and  commissioned,  covering  232  locations in  the State  of

Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha. The project cost is Rs. 2211.17 crore. Statewise details of the LWE Phase-II tower location are as follows:

| S No.   | State          |   No. of Districts |   No. of Mobile Towers | No. of tower commissioned   | Total no. of villages covered   |
|---------|----------------|--------------------|------------------------|-----------------------------|---------------------------------|
| 1       | Andhra Pradesh |                  9 |                    346 |                             |                                 |
| 2       | Bihar          |                  7 |                     16 |                             |                                 |
| 3       | Chhattisgarh   |                 15 |                    971 | 147                         | 155                             |
| 4       | Jharkhand      |                 21 |                    450 |                             |                                 |
| 5       | Madhya Pradesh |                  2 |                     23 | 3                           | 3                               |
| 6       | Maharashtra    |                  3 |                    125 | 5                           | 5                               |
| 7       | Odisha         |                  5 |                    483 | 69                          | 69                              |
| 8       | Telangana      |                 12 |                     53 |                             |                                 |
| 9       | Uttar Pradesh  |                  1 |                     42 |                             |                                 |
| 10      | West Bengal    |                  5 |                     33 |                             |                                 |
| Total   | Total          |                 80 |                   2542 | 224                         | 232                             |

## 9. Saturation of 4G mobile services in uncovered villages across the country

A USOF funded project for saturation of 4G mobile services in uncovered villages across the country at a total cost of Rs. 26,316 crore was approved on 27.7.2022.  The project aims to provide 4G mobile services  in  24,680  uncovered  villages  in  remote  and  difficult  areas.  The  project  has  a  provision  to include  additional  villages  on  account  of  rehabilitation,  new-settlements,  withdrawal  of  services  by existing operators etc.  In addition, 6,279 villages having only 2G/3G connectivity are to be upgraded to 4G.

The  project  is  being  executed  by  BSNL  using  Atmanirbhar  Bharat's  4G  technology  stack  and  is funded through the Universal Service Obligation Fund. The project cost of Rs. 26,316 which included capital  and    5-year  operational  expenditure.  BSNL  has  started  the  survey  work  with  the  target  for completing the project by December 2023.

| Uncovered villages under Saturation scheme   | Uncovered villages under Saturation scheme   | Uncovered villages under Saturation scheme   |
|----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|
| S. No.                                       | State/UT                                     |                                              |
| 1                                            | Andaman and Nicobar Islands                  | 63                                           |
| 2                                            | Andhra Pradesh                               | 3,104                                        |
| 3                                            | Arunachal Pradesh                            | 1,250                                        |
| 4                                            | Assam                                        | 525                                          |
| 5                                            | Bihar                                        | 148                                          |
| 6                                            | Chhattisgarh                                 | 728                                          |
| 7                                            | Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu     | 66                                           |
| 8                                            | Goa                                          | 30                                           |
| 9                                            | Gujarat                                      | 286                                          |
| 10                                           | Haryana                                      | 7                                            |
| 11                                           | Himachal Pradesh                             | 1,226                                        |
| 12                                           | Jammu and Kashmir                            | 297                                          |
| 13                                           | Jharkhand                                    | 1,367                                        |
| 14                                           | Karnataka                                    | 985                                          |
| 15                                           | Kerala                                       | 214                                          |
| 16                                           | Ladakh                                       | 192                                          |
| 17                                           | Lakshadweep                                  | 1                                            |
| 18                                           | Madhya Pradesh                               | 3,043                                        |
| 19                                           | Maharashtra                                  | 1,714                                        |
| 20                                           | Manipur                                      | 287                                          |
| 21                                           | Meghalaya                                    | 1,527                                        |
| 22                                           | Mizoram                                      | 141                                          |
| 23                                           | Nagaland                                     | 397                                          |
| 24                                           | Odisha                                       | 1,792                                        |
| 25                                           | Puducherry                                   | 1                                            |
| 26                                           | Rajasthan                                    | ,2950                                        |
| 27                                           | Sikkim                                       | 308                                          |
| 28                                           | Tamil Nadu                                   | 346                                          |

| 29   | Telangana     | 376    |
|------|---------------|--------|
| 30   | Tripura       | 242    |
| 31   | Uttar Pradesh | 229    |
| 32   | Uttarakhand   | 716    |
| 33   | West Bengal   | 124    |
|      | Grand Total   | 24,682 |

## 9. BharatNetProject

BharatNet project is implemented in a phased manner to provide broadband connectivity to all Gram Panchayats (GPs) in the country. The infrastructure created under BharatNet project can be utilised by service providers, for providing of broadband/internet services. The scope of BharatNet project has been extended up to all inhabited villages beyond GPs in the country.

## Status of BharatNet project (as on  28.11.2022)

|   S. No. | State/Union Territory                    | Total planned GPs   | OFC laid (km)   | Service- ready GPs on OFC   | Service- ready GPs on satellite   | Total service- ready GPs (OFC + satellite)   |
|----------|------------------------------------------|---------------------|-----------------|-----------------------------|-----------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|
|        1 | Andaman and Nicobar                      | 70                  | 207             | 47                          | 4                                 | 51                                           |
|        2 | Andhra* Pradesh                          | 13,420              | 33,095          | 4,270                       | 11                                | 4,281                                        |
|        3 | Arunachal Pradesh                        | 1,796               | 1,519           | 79                          | 690                               | 769                                          |
|        4 | Assam                                    | 2,665               | 4,877           | 1,506                       | 5                                 | 1,511                                        |
|        5 | Bihar                                    | 8,404               | 27,413          | 8,300                       | 16                                | 8,316                                        |
|        6 | Chandigarh                               | 12                  | 19              | 12                          |                                   | 12                                           |
|        7 | Chhattisgarh*                            | 11,676              | 41,784          | 9,440                       | 11                                | 9,451                                        |
|        8 | Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli | 38                  | 112             | 38                          |                                   | 38                                           |
|        9 | Goa#                                     | 191                 | 0               | 0                           |                                   | 0                                            |
|       10 | Gujarat*                                 | 14,288              | 55,298          | 14,202                      | 25                                | 14,227                                       |
|       11 | Haryana                                  | 6,256               | 11,901          | 6,082                       |                                   | 6,082                                        |
|       12 | Himachal Pradesh                         | 3616                | 783             | 252                         | 156                               | 408                                          |
|       13 | Jammu and Kashmir                        | 4,299               | 860             | 413                         | 678                               | 1,091                                        |
|       14 | Jharkhand*                               | 4,399               | 16,745          | 4,333                       | 2                                 | 4335                                         |
|       15 | Karnataka                                | 6,090               | 14,217          | 6,084                       |                                   | 6,084                                        |
|       16 | Kerala                                   | 978                 | 829             | 977                         | 1                                 | 978                                          |
|       17 | Ladakh                                   | 193                 | 0               | 0                           | 192                               | 192                                          |

| S. No.   | State/Union Territory   | Total planned GPs   | OFC laid (km)   | Service- ready GPs on OFC   | Service- ready GPs on satellite   | Total service- ready GPs (OFC + satellite)   |
|----------|-------------------------|---------------------|-----------------|-----------------------------|-----------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|
| 18       | Lakshadweep             | 10                  | 0               | 0                           | 9                                 | 9                                            |
| 19       | Madhya Pradesh          | 22,841              | 67,722          | 17,743                      | 33                                | 17,776                                       |
| 20       | Maharashtra*            | 28,238              | 83,176          | 23,592                      | 5                                 | 23,597                                       |
| 21       | Manipur                 | 2,782               | 634             | 315                         | 1,143                             | 1,458                                        |
| 22       | Meghalaya               | 1,792               | 1,069           | 122                         | 559                               | 681                                          |
| 23       | Mizoram                 | 762                 | 689             | 41                          | 411                               | 452                                          |
| 24       | Nagaland                | 983                 | 2,000           | 116                         | 116                               | 232                                          |
| 25       | Odisha*                 | 6,796               | 32,373          | 6,741                       | 38                                | 6,779                                        |
| 26       | Puducherry              | 110                 | 93              | 98                          |                                   | 98                                           |
| 27       | Punjab                  | 13,337              | 24,463          | 12,664                      | 4                                 | 12,668                                       |
| 28       | Rajasthan               | 11,352              | 30,139          | 8,740                       | 30                                | 8,770                                        |
| 29       | Sikkim                  | 185                 | 942             | 18                          | 8                                 | 26                                           |
| 30       | Tamil Nadu*$            | 12,524              | 4,893           | 499                         |                                   | 499                                          |
| 31       | Telangana*              | 12,769              | 29,102          | 8,716                       |                                   | 8,716                                        |
| 32       | Tripura                 | 1,114               | 1,686           | 585                         | 142                               | 727                                          |
| 33       | Uttar Pradesh           | 59,365              | 1,03,950        | 39,785                      | 33                                | 39,818                                       |
| 34       | Uttarakhand             | 7,936               | 3,828           | 1,598                       | 162                               | 1,760                                        |
| 35       | West Bengal             | 3,348               | 9,493           | 2,504                       | 3                                 | 2,507                                        |
|          | Total                   | 2,64,635            | 6,05,911        | 1,79,912                    | 4,487                             | 1,84,399                                     |

# Goa had its own similar broadband network and therefore, has not been taken up under Phase-I and Phase-II of the BharatNet Project.

Note:

Delhi has no GPs and thus not taken up under BharatNet Project.

## 11. USOF scheme for setting up of 25,000 public Wi-Fi hotspots using the infrastructure of BSNL's telephone exchanges in rural areas

Public Wi-Fi hotspots had been set up by BSNL in around 24,000 telephone exchanges in rural areas. The  project  cost  was  Rs.  634.90  crore.  At  each  exchange,  one  Access  Point  (AP)  with  backhaul bandwidth of 2 Mbps was to be provided. Wi-Fi hotspots have been set up /installed in 24,333 rural exchanges/BTS.

| S. No.   | BSNL Circle   | Total no. of exchanges/ BTS sites   | No. of Wi-Fi hotspots providing service   |
|----------|---------------|-------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|

| S. No.   | BSNL Circle                                     | Total no. of exchanges/ BTS sites   | No. of Wi-Fi hotspots providing service   |
|----------|-------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh                                  | 1,492                               | 1,492                                     |
| 2        | Assam                                           | 409                                 | 409                                       |
| 3        | Bihar                                           | 895                                 | 895                                       |
| 4        | Chhattisgarh                                    | 410                                 | 410                                       |
| 5        | Gujarat                                         | 1,881                               | 1,834                                     |
| 6        | Haryana                                         | 779                                 | 773                                       |
| 7        | Himachal Pradesh                                | 647                                 | 647                                       |
| 8        | Jammu and Kashmir                               | 201                                 | 201                                       |
| 9        | Jharkhand                                       | 199                                 | 183                                       |
| 10       | Karnataka                                       | 2,071                               | 2,037                                     |
| 11       | Kerala                                          | 1,066                               | 1,066                                     |
| 12       | Madhya Pradesh                                  | 1,778                               | 1,675                                     |
| 13       | Maharashtra (including Goa)                     | 3,746                               | 3,567                                     |
| 14       | NE-I (Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura)           | 129                                 | 85                                        |
| 15       | NE-II (Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland) | 141                                 | 114                                       |
| 16       | Odisha                                          | 752                                 | 752                                       |
| 17       | Punjab                                          | 1,195                               | 1,188                                     |
| 18       | Rajasthan                                       | 1,645                               | 1,589                                     |
| 19       | Tamil Nadu                                      | 1,276                               | 1,276                                     |
| 20       | Telangana                                       | 910                                 | 910                                       |
| 21       | Uttar Pradesh                                   | 1,964                               | 1,964                                     |
| 22       | Uttarakhand                                     | 427                                 | 282                                       |
| 23       | West Bengal                                     | 987                                 | 984                                       |
| Total    | Total                                           | 25,000                              | 24,333                                    |

## 12. Hiring of 20 Gbps International Bandwidth for Internet Connectivity to Agartala from BSCCL, Bangladesh via Cox Bazar

For  making  available  high  quality  and  high-speed  internet  access  to  the  States  of  North  Eastern Region  of  the  country,  financial  support  of  Rs.  17.15  crore  is  to  be  provided  to  Bharat  Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) for hiring of 20 Gbps International Bandwidth for Internet Connectivity to Agartala  from  Bangladesh  Submarine  Cable  Company  Limited  (BSCCL),  Bangladesh  via  Cox Bazar/Kuakata. The first 10 Gbps link was commissioned on 26.11.2021 and the second 10 Gbps link was commissioned on 21.04.2022.

## 13. Provision of 4G mobile services in 85 uncovered villages and seamless mobile coverage along NH-4 (erstwhile NH 223) in Andaman and Nicobar Islands (82+42 NH towers)

- (i) Agreement  signed  between  USO  Fund  and  M/s  RJIL  on  15.03.2021  for  setting  up  of  82 towers to provide mobile services on 4G Technology in identified 85 uncovered villages with population  over  10  and  42  towers  for  providing  4G  mobile  services  to  bridge  the  gaps  in mobile connectivity along uncovered National Highway.As on 30.6.2022, survey report for 70 tower sites 42 Villages,23 Highway have been approved by USOF, out of the 100 tower site survey report 55 Villages and 45 Highwaysubmitted by M/s RJIL.M/s RJIL has been given inprinciple approval for consolidated 52 BTS along NH4 and the list of villages to be covered in lieu of the proposal of deletion of 20 sites.
- (ii) The target for completion of project has been extended upto  20.5.2023 on the request of M/s RJIL due to pending forest permissions and non-availability of land and backhaul, which is under consideration. Satellite bandwidth to RJIL for the project has been allocated by ISRO.

## 14. Satellite bandwidth at Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands

- (i) For Andaman & Nicobar Islands work has been awarded to BSNL on nomination basis for satellite bandwidth augmentation from 2 Gbps to 4 Gbps in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Satellite bandwidth augmentation to 4 Gbps has been successfully implemented by BSNL on 9.9.2021.
- (ii)  For  Lakshadweep  Islands,  work  has  been  awarded  to  BSNL  on  nomination  basis  for satellite  bandwidth  augmentation  from  318  Mbps  to  1.71Gbps.Satellite  bandwidth augmentation to 1.71 Gbps has been successfully   implemented by BSNL on 14.8.2021. Further augmentation of the satellite bandwidth from 1.71 Gbps to 3.46 Gbps utilizing GSAT-31  capacities  through  NSIL  and  BSNL  on  nomination  basis  was  approved  on 13.4.2021.  However,  based  on  a  request  from  the  Union  Territory  Administration  for dropping the scheme, NSIL and BSNL have been instructed not to proceed further with the project.

## 15. Submarine  OFC  connectivity  between  Mainland  (Kochi)  and  LD  Islands  (1869  km) (total  11  islands;  Kavaratti,  Kalpeni,  Agatti,  Amini,  Andrott,  Minicoy,  Bangaram,  Bitra, Chetlat, Kiltan and Kadmat

- (i) The    proposal  for  'Provision  of  Submarine  Optical  Fibre  Cable  Connectivity  between mainland  (Kochi)  and  Lakshadweep  Island  (KLI  Project)'  was  approved  on  9.12.2020. BSNL  and  TCIL  have  been  nominated  as  Project  Execution  Agency  and  Technical Consultant respectively.  BSNL floated tender on 10.3.2021 and issued the purchase order to M/s NECCIPL, the successful bidder, on 28.9.2021. Total financial implication is about Rs. 1072  crore  (excluding  taxes),  which  includes  capital  expenditure  of  Rs.  837  crore  to  be funded  by  USOF,  while  operational  expenditure  of  Rs.  235  Crore  for  five  years  is  to  be funded by Ministry of Home Affairs / UT Administration of Lakshadweep Islands. Land has been allocated by Lakshadweep UT Administration at Kavaratti, Kiltan, Bangaram and Bitra for construction of new Cable Landing Station (CLS) building to USOF/DoT.
- (ii) Marine  survey  commenced  on  14.12.2021.  Deep  Water  Marine  Route  Survey  been completed for all segments on 31.3.2022.
- (iii) The survey and baseline data collection work for seeking EIA/ CRZ etc. clearance has been completed by M/s EQMS. EIA /CRZ applied for both Kochi and Lakshadweep. From Kerala Coastal  Zone  Management  Authority  (CZMA),  a  case  has  been  forwarded  to  Ministry  of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, New  Delhi on 24th March 2022. For Lakshadweep,  the  Coastal  Zone  Management  Authority  meeting  was  held  on  18th  April 2022.    Minutes  of  the  meeting  were  issued  on  28.4.2022.  The  Ministry  of  Environment,

Forest  and  Climate  Change  CRZ  meeting    washeld  on  6.7.2022  and  the  project  has  been recommended with certain conditions/actions.

- (iv) Land OFC pipe laying has been completed. Cable blowing has been done for 28km out of 78 km. Completion of the project is targeted by May 2023.

## 16. Re-provisioning  of  Digital  Satellite  Phone  Terminals  (DSPTs)  provided  to  MHA agencies (CAPFs), MoD agencies (Army, BRO) and other agencies using VSAT connectivity under BharatNet Project

BSNL was providing DSPTs services to MHA agencies (CAPFs), MoD agencies (Army, BRO) and other agencies. These DSPTs were provided in remote, rural, far-flung, difficult terrain areas where no  coverage  from  any  other  operator  is  available.  The  DSPTs  were  working  on  NSS-6  satellite. However, due to closure of NSS-6 satellite, the services of all the 1,409 DSPTs provided to MHA Agency/  Armed/  Paramilitary  Forces  etc.  under  subsidy  support  from  USO  Fund  were  disrupted with effect from 13.05.2019.

As  a  short-term  measure,  INMARSAT  terminals  were  provided  to  MHA  agencies  (CRPF,  BSF, ITBP and SSB) and MoD agencies (Indian Army and BRO) to meet their critical communication need. On 20.12.2019 the proposal for re-provisioning of Digital Satellite Phone Terminals (DSPT) provided to MHA agencies (CAPFs), MoD agencies (Army, BRO) and other agencies through the ongoing tender of VSAT connectivity under BharatNet Project was approved. Further, approval was also accorded for providing VSATs in Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC). The approval  was  conveyed to BBNL for provision of DSPTs. As of now, 1391 sites have been operationalised. Details are as follows:

Agency-wise status of DSPT re-provisioning (as on 21.11.2022)

| Agency      | Total Sites   | Delivered   | Delivered   | Installed   |
|-------------|---------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|             |               | VSAT        | SPV         |             |
| 207         | 207           | 207         | 204         | ARMY        |
| 75          | 75            | 75          | 75          | BRO         |
| 336         | 336           | 336         | 336         | BSF         |
| 326         | 326           | 326         | 326         | CRPF        |
| 207         | 207           | 207         | 207         | ITBP        |
| 103         | 103           | 103         | 103         | SSB         |
| 18          | 18            | 18          | 18          | LAHDC       |
| 137         | 124           | 124         | 122         | Ladakh DSPT |
| Total 1,409 | 1,392         |             | 1,396       | 1,391       |

Annex-III State/ Union Territory- wise service -ready Gram Panchayats as on 30.11.2022

| S.No   | State/Union Territory                | Service-ready Gram Panchayats   |
|--------|--------------------------------------|---------------------------------|
| 1      | Andaman &Nicobar Islands             | 52                              |
| 2      | Andhra Pradesh                       | 4,424                           |
| 3      | Arunachal Pradesh                    | 77                              |
| 4      | Assam                                | 1,506                           |
| 5      | Bihar                                | 8,300                           |
| 6      | Chandigarh                           | 11                              |
| 7      | Chhattisgarh                         | 9,441                           |
| 8      | Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman Diu | 38                              |
| 9      | Gujarat                              | 14,203                          |
| 10     | Haryana                              | 6,082                           |
| 11     | Himachal Pradesh                     | 252                             |
| 12     | Jammu &Kashmir                       | 413                             |
| 13     | Jharkhand                            | 4,339                           |
| 14     | Karnataka                            | 6,081                           |
| 15     | Kerala                               | 977                             |
| 16     | Madhya Pradesh                       | 17,742                          |
| 17     | Maharashtra                          | 23,754                          |
| 18     | Manipur                              | 315                             |
| 19     | Meghalaya                            | 122                             |
| 20     | Mizoram                              | 40                              |
| 21     | Nagaland                             | 113                             |
| 22     | Odisha                               | 6,741                           |
| 23     | Puducherry                           | 98                              |
| 24     | Punjab                               | 12,664                          |
| 25     | Rajasthan                            | 8,740                           |
| 26     | Sikkim                               | 18                              |
| 27     | Tamil Nadu                           | 763                             |
| 28     | Telangana                            | 8,796                           |
| 29     | Tripura                              | 585                             |
| 30     | Uttar Pradesh                        | 39,894                          |
| 31     | Uttrakhand                           | 1,615                           |
| 32     | West Bengal                          | 2,509                           |
| Total  |                                      |                                 |
|        |                                      | 1,80,705                        |

Source : USOF/DoT

State/ UT wise Tower density as on 30.11.2022

| Sl. No.   | State/UT                                  | Towers   | Projected population 2022 (In thousands)   |   Tower Density per 1000 Population |
|-----------|-------------------------------------------|----------|--------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------|
| 1         | Andaman and Nicobar                       | 345      | 402                                        |                                0.86 |
| 2         | Andhra Pradesh                            | 25,992   | 52,972                                     |                                0.49 |
| 3         | Arunachal Pradesh                         | 1,546    | 1,548                                      |                                1    |
| 4         | Assam                                     | 17,254   | 35,378                                     |                                0.49 |
| 5         | Bihar                                     | 40,788   | 1,24,919                                   |                                0.33 |
| 6         | Chandigarh (UT)                           | 1,183    | 1,219                                      |                                0.97 |
| 7         | Chattisgarh                               | 15,186   | 29,836                                     |                                0.51 |
| 8         | Dadra and Nagar Haveli (UT) and Daman Diu | 447      | 1,170                                      |                                0.38 |
| 9         | Delhi                                     | 23,546   | 20,965                                     |                                1.12 |
| 10        | Goa                                       | 1,649    | 1,567                                      |                                1.05 |
| 11        | Gujarat                                   | 43,494   | 70,648                                     |                                0.62 |
| 12        | Haryana                                   | 24,052   | 29,846                                     |                                0.81 |
| 13        | Himachal Pradesh                          | 8,810    | 7,431                                      |                                1.19 |
| 13        | Jammu and Kashmir                         | 10,738   | 13,505                                     |                                0.8  |
| 15        | Jharkhand                                 | 20,894   | 38,969                                     |                                0.54 |
| 16        | Karnataka                                 | 46,970   | 67,268                                     |                                0.7  |
| 17        | Kerala                                    | 20,673   | 35,633                                     |                                0.58 |
| 18        | Laddakh                                   | 546      | 299                                        |                                1.83 |
| 19        | Lakshadweep (UT)                          | 33       | 68                                         |                                0.49 |
| 20        | Madhya Pradesh                            | 38,263   | 85,548                                     |                                0.45 |
| 21        | Maharashtra                               | 78,083   | 1,25,411                                   |                                0.62 |
| 22        | Manipur                                   | 2,581    | 3,194                                      |                                0.81 |
| 23        | Meghalaya                                 | 2,305    | 3,318                                      |                                0.69 |
| 24        | Mizoram                                   | 1,234    | 1,227                                      |                                1.01 |
| 25        | Nagaland                                  | 1,575    | 2,213                                      |                                0.71 |
| 26        | Delhi                                     | 23,546   | 20,965                                     |                                1.12 |
| 27        | Odisha                                    | 24,692   | 45,987                                     |                                0.54 |
| 28        | Puducherry (UT)                           | 747      | 1,608                                      |                                0.46 |
| 29        | Punjab                                    | 22,918   | 30,535                                     |                                0.75 |
| 30        | Rajasthan                                 | 39783    | 80,153                                     |                                0.5  |
| 31        | Sikkim                                    | 735      | 683                                        |                                1.08 |
| 32        | Tamil Nadu                                | 46,514   | 76,631                                     |                                0.61 |
| 33        | Telangana                                 | 28,353   | 37,907                                     |                                0.75 |
| 34        | Tripura                                   | 2,531    | 4,109                                      |                                0.62 |
| 35        | Uttar Pradesh                             | 89,470   | 2,33,297                                   |                                0.38 |
| 36        | Uttarakhand                               | 9,244    | 11,518                                     |                                0.8  |
| 36        | West Bengal                               | 47,373   | 98,604                                     |                                0.48 |
| Total     | Total                                     | 740547   | 13,75,586                                  |                                0.54 |

********

## Annex-IV