Lok Sabha Question No. 4530 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-30
Subject: WiFi in Gram Panchayats
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Poonamben Hematbhai Maadam

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4530 TO BE ANSWERED ON 30 TH  MARCH, 2022

## WiFi IN GRAM PANCHAYATS

## 4530.   SHRIMATI POONAMBEN MAADAM:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has intensified operationalisation of WiFi in Gram Panchayats (GPs) and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the number of GPs with operational WiFi as on date, State/UT-wise including Gujarat; and
- (c) the details of the financial outlay for this year dedicated for GP internet services?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (b) BharatNet  project  is  implemented  in  a  phased  manner  to  provide  broadband connectivity to all the Gram Panchayats (GPs) in the country. As on 28.02.2022, total 1,72,361 GPs (1,68,010 GPs on OFC and 4,351 GPs on satellite) have been made Service Ready in the country.

In Gujarat, Phase-II of BharatNet is implemented under State-led model through the State Government under which, 7608 GPs have been made Service Ready out of 7668 planned GPs. Further, 22 GPs have been made Service Ready on Satellite media out of 26 planned GPs. Under Phase-I,  a  total  number  of  6593  GPs  were  taken  up  for  implementation  through  RailTel Corporation of India Limited, out of which 6489 GPs have been made Service Ready. In total, 14,119 GPs have been made Service Ready in Gujarat, as on 28.02.2022.

The  work  of  providing  broadband  facility  (Wi-Fi  hotspots  and  Fibre  to  the  Home connections)  in  Phase-I  GPs,  including  that  of  Gujarat,  is  implemented  with  funding  from Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF). For BharatNet Phase-II, the respective Implementing Agencies are responsible for the utilisation of the created network.  Regular review & monitoring of the project is done with the Implementing Agencies for expeditiously making the Wi-Fi hotspots active/operational. The State/UT-wise number of GPs with active/operational  Wi-Fi, including in Gujarat, is given at Annexure-I .

- (c) For BharatNet project, Rs. 7,000 crore is the Revised Allotment (RE) for 2021-22.

Annexure referred to in Parts (a) & (b) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question  No. 4530 for answer on 30.03.2022

State/UT-wise number of GPs with active/operational Wi-Fi (as on 28.02.2022)

| S. No.   | State/UT                          | GPs with active/operational Wi-Fi   |
|----------|-----------------------------------|-------------------------------------|
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh                    | 484                                 |
| 2        | Arunachal Pradesh                 | 114                                 |
| 3        | Bihar                             | 3553                                |
| 4        | Chandigarh                        | 12                                  |
| 5        | Chhattisgarh                      | 2544                                |
| 6        | Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman &Diu | 12                                  |
| 7        | Gujarat                           | 1814                                |
| 8        | Haryana                           | 4347                                |
| 9        | Himachal Pradesh                  | 215                                 |
| 10       | Jammu &Kashmir                    | 358                                 |
| 11       | Jharkhand                         | 824                                 |
| 12       | Karnataka                         | 3154                                |
| 13       | Kerala                            | 660                                 |
| 14       | Ladakh                            | 73                                  |
| 15       | Madhya Pradesh                    | 4236                                |
| 16       | Maharashtra                       | 3406                                |
| 17       | Manipur                           | 7                                   |
| 18       | Meghalaya                         | 21                                  |
| 19       | Odisha                            | 1336                                |
| 20       | Puducherry                        | 81                                  |
| 21       | Punjab                            | 5511                                |
| 22       | Rajasthan                         | 5233                                |
| 23       | Telangana                         | 355                                 |
| 24       | Tripura                           | 316                                 |
| 25       | Uttar Pradesh                     | 13570                               |
| 26       | Uttarakhand                       | 933                                 |
| 27       | West Bengal                       | 184                                 |
| Total    | Total                             | 53,353                              |

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