Lok Sabha Question No. 1383 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-02-10
Subject: Villages Without Acccess to Internet Services
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Gautam Gambhir

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1383 TO BE ANSWERED ON 10 TH  FEBRUARY, 2021

## VILLAGES WITHOUT ACCCESS TO INTERNET SERVICES

1383.   SHRI GAUTAM GAMBHIR:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) the total number of villages in the country without access to internet services, State/UT-wise;
- (b) whether the Government is considering any proposal to involve Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) funds to bridge the digital divide between students in rural and urban areas; and
- (c) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS, EDUCATION AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI SANJAY DHOTRE)

- (a) Internet is currently accessed through mobile wireless 3G/4G technologies and fixed wireline broadband in the country. As per data collected from the Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) in 2020, it is estimated that 37,439 inhabited villages (as per Census 2011) in the country do not have 3G/ 4G mobile internet coverage. State/UT-wise details are given in Annexure .
- (b) & (c) At present no such proposal is under consideration.

Annexure referred to in Part (a) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1383 for Answer on 10.02.2021.

## No. of Villages not having 3G/ 4G mobile internet coverage

| Sl. No.   | State/UT                           | No of inhabited villages as per Census 2011   | No of inhabited villages not having 3G/4G mobile internet Coverage   |
|-----------|------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1         | Andaman &Nicobar                   | 396                                           | 311                                                                  |
| 2         | Andhra Pradesh                     | 16158                                         | 2095                                                                 |
| 3         | Arunachal Pradesh                  | 5258                                          | 3343                                                                 |
| 4         | Assam                              | 25372                                         | 1231                                                                 |
| 5         | Bihar                              | 39073                                         | 321                                                                  |
| 6         | Chandigarh                         | 5                                             | 0                                                                    |
| 7         | Chhattisgarh                       | 19567                                         | 2793                                                                 |
| 8         | Dadra &Nagar Haveli and Daman &Diu | 84                                            | 11                                                                   |
| 9         | Delhi                              | 103                                           | 0                                                                    |
| 10        | Goa                                | 320                                           | 21                                                                   |
| 11        | Gujarat                            | 17843                                         | 775                                                                  |
| 12        | Haryana                            | 6642                                          | 1                                                                    |
| 13        | Himachal Pradesh                   | 17882                                         | 974                                                                  |
| 14        | Jammu &Kashmir                     | 6101                                          | 388                                                                  |
| 15        | Jharkhand                          | 29492                                         | 2069                                                                 |
| 16        | Karnataka                          | 27397                                         | 608                                                                  |
| 17        | Kerala                             | 1017                                          | 0                                                                    |
| 18        | Ladakh                             | 236                                           | 155                                                                  |
| 19        | Lakshadweep                        | 6                                             | 0                                                                    |
| 20        | Madhya Pradesh                     | 51929                                         | 2450                                                                 |
| 21        | Maharashtra                        | 40959                                         | 2014                                                                 |
| 22        | Manipur                            | 2515                                          | 806                                                                  |
| 23        | Meghalaya                          | 6459                                          | 2418                                                                 |
| 24        | Mizoram                            | 704                                           | 296                                                                  |
| 25        | Nagaland                           | 1400                                          | 378                                                                  |
| 26        | Odisha                             | 47677                                         | 8947                                                                 |
| 27        | Punjab                             | 12168                                         | 1                                                                    |
| 28        | Puducherry                         | 90                                            | 0                                                                    |
| 29        | Rajasthan                          | 43264                                         | 1453                                                                 |
| 30        | Sikkim                             | 425                                           | 16                                                                   |
| 31        | Tamil Nadu                         | 15049                                         | 74                                                                   |
| 32        | Telangana                          | 10128                                         | 375                                                                  |
| 33        | Tripura                            | 863                                           | 60                                                                   |
| 34        | Uttarakhand                        | 15745                                         | 2410                                                                 |
| 35        | Uttar Pradesh                      | 97813                                         | 620                                                                  |
| 36        | West Bengal                        | 37478                                         | 25                                                                   |
|           | Total                              | 5,97,618                                      | 37,439                                                               |