Lok Sabha Question No. 1211 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-14
Subject: Digital Access to Villages
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Pradeep Kumar Singh, Satyadev Pachauri, Geeta Kora

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1211

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 14.12.2022

## DIGITAL ACCESS TO VILLAGES

## 1211.   SHRI PRADEEP KUMAR SINGH: SHRI SATYADEV PACHAURI: SHRIMATI GEETA KORA:

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

- (a) whether the Government is aware that a better digital future can be built only by ensuring availability of comprehensive digital infrastructure, development of digital platform and access of all to digital services and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government is working on a plan to extend mobile services to all villages in the country by 2023 and optical fibre by 2025 and if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) the details of fibre to be extended to all the villages of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand by the year 2025?

## ANSWER

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

- (a): Yes, Sir. One of the important objectives of Digital India programme is to transform the  lives  of  Indian  citizens  and  improve  governance  and  democracy  by  ensuring  digital services, digital access, bridging the digital divide, digital inclusion and digital empowerment. Towards this, various digital initiatives for strengthening the digital infrastructure providing government services through platforms and creation of India Stack have been taken by the Government of India.  Some of the key platforms along with their web links are as under:
- (i) Aadhaar platform: https://uidai.gov.in/
- (ii) Unified Payments Interface (UPI): https://www.bhimupi.org.in/
- (iii) Unified Mobile Application for New-Age Governance (UMANG): https://web.umang.gov.in/landing/
- (iv) Digital seva platform: https://digitalseva.csc.gov.in/
- (v) DigiLocker: https://www.digilocker.gov.in/
- (vi) MyScheme: https://www.myscheme.gov.in/
- (b): Yes, Sir. As per data provided by Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) and field units of the  Department  of  Telecommunications  (DoT),  as  of  December  2020,  out  of  5,97,618 inhabited villages  in  the  country  as  per  Census  2011,  an  estimated  25,067  villages  did  not have  mobile  connectivity.  Out  of  these  25,067  uncovered  villages,  around  11,000  villages have since been included in Universal Service Obligation Fund schemes. Uncovered villages are covered by the Government and TSPs in a phased manner.

For optical fibre connectivity, DoT is implementing BharatNet project in a phased manner to provide broadband connectivity to all inhabited villages.

- (c):  BharatNet  is  providing  broadband/Optical  Fibre  Connectivity  (OFC)  to  all  Gram Panchayats (GPs) in the country, including in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand. Details of fibre extended in the villages of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand, as on 28.11.2022, are as under:

|   S. No. | State         | Total Planned GPs   | OFC laid (km)   | Service- ready GPs on OFC   |   Service- ready GPs on satellite | Total Service- ready GPs (OFC + satellite)   |
|----------|---------------|---------------------|-----------------|-----------------------------|-----------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|
|        1 | Bihar         | 8,404               | 27,413          | 8,300                       |                                16 | 8,316                                        |
|        2 | Jharkhand     | 4,399               | 16,745          | 4,333                       |                                 2 | 4,335                                        |
|        3 | Uttar Pradesh | 59,365              | 1,03,950        | 39,785                      |                                33 | 39,818                                       |

Source: DoT

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