Lok Sabha Question No. 2346 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-15
Subject: Wi-Fi Access Points
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Amol Ramsing Kolhe, DNV Senthilkumar. S.

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2346 TO BE ANSWERED ON 15 TH  MARCH, 2023

## WI-FI ACCESS POINTS

## 2346.   DR. AMOL RAMSING KOLHE: DR. DNV SENTHILKUMAR S.:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of the number of Wi-Fi Access Points (Public Data Offices) that have been set up in  Maharashtra  and  Tamil  Nadu  under  Prime  Minister's  Wi-Fi  Access  Network  Interface  (PMWANI) framework;
- (b) the details of the progress made under the PM-WANI scheme;
- (c) the manner in which the scheme helped the Government in its e-Governance initiative and also in increasing the internet penetration in rural areas of the country; and
- (d) the extent to which the said scheme helped the Government's effort in the above fields, block and State-wise?

## ANSWER

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

- (a)       As on 09-03-2023, 15374 and 7412 Wi-Fi hotspots have been deployed under PM-WANI framework in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu respectively.
- (b) PM-WANI framework was launched on 09.12.20. Meticulous efforts have been made to popularise PM-WANI. As on 09-03-2023, 1,47,764 Wi-Fi hotspots have been deployed under PM WANI framework in the country.
- (c) & (d) PM WANI framework aims to accelerate proliferation of internet services by setting up public Wi-Fi Access points in the country with the objective of building digital India, bridging digital divide and consequential benefit thereon.

State/ Union Territory (UT) wise  number of hotspots under  PM WANI framework as on 09-03-2023, is attached as Annexure. The block wise details are not maintained.

## Annexure

Annexure referred to in Reply to Part (c) & (d) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No.2346 to be answered on 15.03.2023.

The State/UT wise number of hotspots under PM WANI framework

| State/UT          |   Total WI-FI Hotspots |
|-------------------|------------------------|
| Andaman & Nicobar |                    246 |
| Andhra Pradesh    |                   6057 |
| Arunachal Pradesh |                    598 |
| Assam             |                    856 |
| Bihar             |                   3767 |
| Chandigarh        |                    256 |
| Chhattisgarh      |                   2796 |
| Delhi             |                  40521 |
| Goa               |                    422 |
| Gujarat           |                   4036 |
| Himachal Pradesh  |                    937 |
| Haryana           |                   3739 |
| Jharkhand         |                   1000 |
| Jammu & Kashmir   |                   1478 |
| Karnataka         |                  18807 |
| Kerala            |                   4899 |
| Ladakh            |                    371 |
| Lakshadweep       |                      1 |
| Maharashtra       |                  15374 |
| Meghalaya         |                    147 |
| Manipur           |                      9 |
| Madhya Pradesh    |                   7095 |
| Mizoram           |                      1 |
| Nagaland          |                     76 |
| Odisha            |                   2811 |
| Punjab            |                   3682 |
| Puducherry        |                     89 |
| Rajasthan         |                   2766 |
| Sikkim            |                     13 |
| Telangana         |                   4230 |
| Tamil Nadu        |                   7412 |
| Tripura           |                    301 |
| Uttarakhand       |                    892 |
| Uttar Pradesh     |                   8234 |
| West Bengal       |                   3845 |
| Total             |                 147764 |

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