Lok Sabha Question No. 654 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-12-01
Subject: Communication Services in Tribal Areas
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Unmesh Bhaiyyasaheb Patil, Heena Vijaykumar Gavit, Sujay Radhakrishna Vikhepatil, Shrikant Eknath Shinde, Sambhajirao Mane Dhairyasheel

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 654 TO BE ANSWERED ON 1 ST  DECEMBER, 2021

## COMMUNICATION SERVICES IN TRIBAL AREAS

654. SHRI UNMESH BHAIYYASAHEB PATIL:

DR. HEENA GAVIT:

DR. SUJAY RADHAKRISHNA VIKHE PATIL:

DR. SHRIKANT EKNATH SHINDE:

SHRI DHAIRYASHEEL SAMBHAJIRAO MANE:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether all the villages in the country including tribal areas of various States have been linked with the telecommunication facilities, particularly mobile telephone facilities and if so, the details of the number of such villages and tribal areas thereof, State/UT-wise;
- (b) the target fixed and achieved by the Government and action plan, if any, for extension of the  telecommunication  services  across  all  the  villages  during  each  of  the  last  three  years, State/UT-wise;
- (c) the  status  of  India  Post  Payment  Bank  (IPPB)  and  the  benefits  provided/likely  to  be provided by the setting up of this bank; and
- (d) the details of the branches opened by IPPB in the country so far, State/UT-wise and the time by which its branches are likely to be set up in all the States of the country?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) As per data provided by Telecom Service Providers(TSPs) and field units of Department of Telecommunications (DoT), 96% inhabited villages in the country have telecom connectivity, as  against  80%  inhabited  villages  in  93  districts  with  more  than  50%  tribal  population.  The State/UT-wise details are attached as Annexure-I.
- (b) Government  of India is implementing various schemes under Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) to enhance telecom connectivity in the rural and predominately tribal areas  of  the  country  including  North  Eastern  Region  (NER)  and  areas  affected  by  Left  Wing Extremism (LWE), Border areas, Aspirational Districts and Islands. Further, remaining villages of the country including tribal areas are covered by Government and Telecom Service Providers (TSPs)  in  a  phased  manner.  The  State/UT-wise  details  of  telecommunication  connectivity  by Government is attached as Annexure-II.

(c) India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) has been established under the Department of Posts, Ministry  of  Communication  with  100%  equity  owned  by  Government  of  India.  IPPB  did  a nationwide  launch  on  01-Sep-2018  with  650  branches/controlling  offices,  almost  one  in  each district in the country. IPPB has enabled 1.36 lakh Post Offices to provide Banking services and has  equipped  nearly  1.86  lakh  Postmen  and  Grameen  Dak  Sevaks  with  a  smartphone  and biometric device to provide Doorstep Banking Services including Paperless Account Opening, Cash  Deposit/Withdrawal,  AePS,  Domestic  Money  Transfer  (DMT),  Government  to  Citizen (G2C) Payments, Bill Payments Services, Digital Life Certificate (DLC), Doorstep services for Mobile Number update for Aadhaar in association with Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), Life Insurance & General Insurance services.

(d) India Post Payments Bank has set up 650 branches/controlling offices, almost one in each district in the country details of which is placed at Annexure-III.

Annexure referred to in reply of para (a) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 654 to be answered  on  01 th December  2021  raised  by  Hon'ble  Members  of  Parliament  regarding 'Communication Services in Tribal Areas'

| Sr. No.   | State/UT Name            |   Number of Tribal District |   Total No of inhabited villages as per Census 2011 |   No of inhabited villages with mobile connectivity as on December 2020 |   No of inhabited villages without mobile connectivity as on December 2020 |
|-----------|--------------------------|-----------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1         | Andaman &Nicobar Islands |                           1 |                                                  90 |                                                                      37 |                                                                         53 |
| 2         | Andhra Pradesh           |                           1 |                                                3072 |                                                                    1946 |                                                                       1126 |
| 3         | Arunachal Pradesh        |                          13 |                                                4361 |                                                                    2305 |                                                                       2056 |
| 4         | Assam                    |                           2 |                                                3388 |                                                                    2861 |                                                                        527 |
| 5         | Chhattisgarh             |                           5 |                                                5256 |                                                                    4446 |                                                                        810 |
| 6         | Dadra &Nagar Haveli      |                           1 |                                                  65 |                                                                      65 |                                                                          0 |
| 7         | Gujarat                  |                           6 |                                                3329 |                                                                    3062 |                                                                        267 |
| 8         | Himachal Pradesh         |                           2 |                                                 521 |                                                                     402 |                                                                        119 |
| 9         | Jharkhand                |                           5 |                                                4139 |                                                                    3664 |                                                                        475 |
| 10        | Karnataka                |                           1 |                                                 679 |                                                                     678 |                                                                          1 |
| 11        | Ladakh                   |                           2 |                                                 236 |                                                                     172 |                                                                         64 |
| 12        | Lakshadweep              |                           1 |                                                   6 |                                                                       5 |                                                                          1 |
| 13        | Madhya Pradesh           |                           6 |                                                5598 |                                                                    5128 |                                                                        470 |
| 14        | Maharashtra              |                           1 |                                                 930 |                                                                     744 |                                                                        186 |
| 15        | Manipur                  |                           5 |                                                2082 |                                                                    1623 |                                                                        459 |
| 16        | Meghalaya                |                           7 |                                                6459 |                                                                    4785 |                                                                       1674 |
| 17        | Mizoram                  |                           8 |                                                 704 |                                                                     498 |                                                                        206 |
| 18        | Nagaland                 |                          11 |                                                1400 |                                                                    1256 |                                                                        144 |
| 19        | Odisha                   |                           8 |                                               15652 |                                                                   11145 |                                                                       4507 |
| 20        | Rajasthan                |                           3 |                                                3427 |                                                                    3374 |                                                                         53 |
| 21        | Sikkim                   |                           1 |                                                  52 |                                                                      44 |                                                                          8 |
| 22        | Tripura                  |                           1 |                                                 148 |                                                                     131 |                                                                         17 |
| 23        | Uttar Pradesh            |                           2 |                                                3181 |                                                                    3162 |                                                                         19 |
|           | Total                    |                          93 |                                               64775 |                                                                   51533 |                                                                      13242 |

Annexure referred to in reply of para (b) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 654 to be answered  on  01 th   December  2021  raised  by  Hon'ble  Members  of  Parliament  regarding 'Communication Services in Tribal Areas'

(a) Details of State/UT-wise Service Ready Gram Panchayats (GPs) of BharatNet project is given below:

| Sr. No.   | State/UT                           | Service Ready GPs (including Block Headquarters) as on   | Service Ready GPs (including Block Headquarters) as on   | Service Ready GPs (including Block Headquarters) as on   |
|-----------|------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------|
| Sr. No.   | State/UT                           |                                                          | Mar-20                                                   | Mar-21                                                   |
| 1         | Andaman &Nicobar Islands           | 0                                                        | 8                                                        | 24                                                       |
| 2         | Andhra Pradesh                     | 1407                                                     | 1648                                                     | 1709                                                     |
| 3         | Arunachal                          | 108                                                      | 335                                                      | 666                                                      |
| 4         | Assam                              | 1621                                                     | 1622                                                     | 1627                                                     |
| 5         | Bihar                              | 5876                                                     | 8461                                                     | 8825                                                     |
| 6         | Chandigarh                         | 13                                                       | 13                                                       | 13                                                       |
| 7         | Chhattisgarh                       | 4074                                                     | 4925                                                     | 7598                                                     |
| 8         | Dadra &Nagar Haveli and Daman &Diu | 38                                                       | 39                                                       | 39                                                       |
| 9         | Goa                                | 0                                                        | 0                                                        | 0                                                        |
| 10        | Gujarat                            | 5449                                                     | 11771                                                    | 13517                                                    |
| 11        | Haryana                            | 6187                                                     | 6189                                                     | 6203                                                     |
| 12        | Himachal Pradesh                   | 227                                                      | 281                                                      | 371                                                      |
| 13        | Jammu &Kashmir                     | 655                                                      | 875                                                      | 1010                                                     |
| 14        | Jharkhand                          | 2388                                                     | 2570                                                     | 3742                                                     |
| 15        | Karnataka                          | 6117                                                     | 6246                                                     | 6247                                                     |
| 16        | Kerala                             | 1129                                                     | 1129                                                     | 1129                                                     |
| 17        | Ladakh                             | 50                                                       | 167                                                      | 184                                                      |
| 18        | Lakshadweep                        | 0                                                        | 0                                                        | 0                                                        |
| 19        | Madhya Pradesh                     | 12706                                                    | 13109                                                    | 15351                                                    |
| 20        | Maharashtra                        | 15173                                                    | 15843                                                    | 19155                                                    |
| 21        | Manipur                            | 322                                                      | 953                                                      | 1429                                                     |
| 22        | Meghalaya                          | 187                                                      | 256                                                      | 580                                                      |
| 23        | Mizoram                            | 32                                                       | 235                                                      | 422                                                      |
| 24        | Nagaland                           | 98                                                       | 129                                                      | 222                                                      |
| 25        | Odisha                             | 3616                                                     | 4186                                                     | 6071                                                     |
| 26        | Puducherry                         | 101                                                      | 101                                                      | 101                                                      |
| 27        | Punjab                             | 7945                                                     | 12676                                                    | 12803                                                    |
| 28        | Rajasthan                          | 8564                                                     | 8817                                                     | 8979                                                     |
| 29        | Sikkim                             | 17                                                       | 28                                                       | 28                                                       |
| 30        | Tamil Nadu                         | 0                                                        | 0                                                        | 0                                                        |
| 31        | Telangana                          | 2047                                                     | 2047                                                     | 3748                                                     |
| 32        | Tripura                            | 529                                                      | 690                                                      | 737                                                      |
| 33        | Uttar Pradesh                      | 28207                                                    | 29157                                                    | 31531                                                    |
| 34        | Uttarakhand                        | 1508                                                     | 1530                                                     | 1565                                                     |
| 35        | West Bengal                        | 2128                                                     | 2373                                                     | 2498                                                     |
|           | Total                              | 118519                                                   | 138409                                                   | 158124                                                   |

(b) The State/UT wise details of villages for providing mobile connectivity in 354 uncovered villages is given below:

| Sr. No.   | State/UT         | No. of Village covered as on   | No. of Village covered as on   | No. of Village covered as on   |
|-----------|------------------|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
| Sr. No.   | State/UT         | Mar-19                         | Mar-20                         | Mar-21                         |
| 1         | Bihar            | 0                              | 0                              | 8                              |
| 2         | Gujarat          | 0                              | 0                              | 16                             |
| 3         | Himachal Pradesh | 0                              | 0                              | 4                              |
| 4         | Jammu            | 0                              | 0                              | 12                             |
| 5         | Karnataka        | 0                              | 0                              | 3                              |
| 6         | Kashmir          | 0                              | 0                              | 11                             |
| 7         | Rajasthan        | 0                              | 0                              | 24                             |
| 8         | Uttar Pradesh    | 0                              | 0                              | 2                              |
| 9         | Uttarakhand      | 0                              | 0                              | 14                             |
| 10        | West Bengal      | 0                              | 0                              | 1                              |
|           | Total            | 0                              | 0                              | 95                             |

Note: The Agreement for providing mobile connectivity in 354 uncovered villages was signed on April 2020.

- (c) The  State/UT  wise  details  of  villages  for  Mobile  Services  in  Uncovered  villages  in Assam,  Manipur,  Mizoram,  Nagaland,  Tripura,  Sikkim,  and  Arunachal  Pradesh  (National Highways only) of NER and seamless coverage along National Highway is given below:

| Sr. No.   | State             | No. of Village covered as on   | No. of Village covered as on   | No. of Village covered as on   |
|-----------|-------------------|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|           |                   | Mar-19                         | Mar-20                         | Mar-21                         |
| 1         | Arunachal Pradesh | 0                              | 0                              | 0                              |
| 2         | Assam             | 82                             | 443                            | 530                            |
| 3         | Manipur           | 12                             | 276                            | 382                            |
| 4         | Mizoram           | 9                              | 172                            | 213                            |
| 5         | Nagaland          | 2                              | 96                             | 112                            |
| 6         | Tripura           | 0                              | 0                              | 0                              |
| 7         | Sikkim            | 0                              | 7                              | 8                              |
|           | Total             | 105                            | 994                            | 1245                           |

Note:

Arunachal Pradesh includes only National Highway Sites.

Annexure referred to in reply of para (d) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 654 to be answered  on  01 th   December  2021  raised  by  Hon'ble  Members  of  Parliament  regarding 'Communication Services in Tribal Areas'

| Sr.No.   | State/UT                 |   Total no. of branches/controlling offices |
|----------|--------------------------|---------------------------------------------|
| 1        | Andaman &Nicobar Islands |                                           1 |
| 2        | Andhra Pradesh           |                                          24 |
| 3        | Arunachal Pradesh        |                                          10 |
| 4        | Assam                    |                                          26 |
| 5        | Bihar                    |                                          38 |
| 6        | Chandigarh               |                                           2 |
| 7        | Chhattisgarh             |                                          27 |
| 8        | Dadra &Nagar Haveli      |                                           1 |
| 9        | Goa                      |                                           2 |
| 10       | Gujarat                  |                                          31 |
| 11       | Haryana                  |                                          20 |
| 12       | Himachal Pradesh         |                                          12 |
| 13       | Jammu &Kashmir           |                                           7 |
| 14       | Jharkhand                |                                          22 |
| 15       | Karnataka                |                                          31 |
| 16       | Kerala                   |                                          14 |
| 17       | Lakshadweep              |                                           1 |
| 18       | Ladakh                   |                                           1 |
| 19       | Madhya Pradesh           |                                          42 |
| 20       | Maharashtra              |                                          40 |
| 21       | Manipur                  |                                           9 |
| 22       | Meghalaya                |                                           8 |
| 23       | Mizoram                  |                                           6 |
| 24       | Nagaland                 |                                           9 |
| 25       | Odisha                   |                                          33 |
| 26       | Puducherry               |                                           2 |
| 27       | Punjab                   |                                          21 |
| 28       | Rajasthan                |                                          33 |
| 29       | Sikkim                   |                                           1 |
| 30       | Tamil Nadu               |                                          35 |
| 31       | Telangana                |                                          23 |
| 32       | The NCT of Delhi         |                                           3 |
| 33       | Tripura                  |                                           5 |
| 34       | Uttar Pradesh            |                                          73 |
| 35       | Uttarakhand              |                                          12 |
| 36       | West Bengal              |                                          25 |
|          | Total                    |                                         650 |

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