Lok Sabha Question No. 3456 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-22
Subject: Telecommunication Facilities in Tribal Areas
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Gajendra Singh Patel

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3456 TO BE ANSWERED ON 22 ND  MARCH, 2023

## TELECOMMUNICATION FACILITIES IN TRIBAL AREAS

## †3456. SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH PATEL:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) the  details  of  the  efforts  being  made  by  the  Government  to  provide  telecommunication facilities in the tribal areas;
- (b) whether any special scheme is proposed by the Government to provide telecom facility in rural areas under Khargone-Barwani parliamentary constituency, if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) the details of the efforts being made to provide telecommunication facilities in tribal and hilly areas of Madhya Pradesh, district-wise?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (c) Government is implementing various schemes under Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) to enhance telecom connectivity in the rural and remote areas including tribal areas of the country. The details of the schemes are attached as Annexure-I .  In Barwani district 96 villages and  251  hamlets  and  in  Khargone  district  42  villages  and  64  hamlets  are  being  provided telecommunication  facilities  under  above  mentioned  schemes.  Details  of  ongoing  Schemes  to provide telecommunication facilities in the Madhya Pradesh State including the tribal and hilly areas are as below:

- i. Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) 502 Scheme- To provide mobile 4G mobile coverage in 205 villages in 8 Aspirational districts of Madhya Pradesh.
- ii. Universal  Service  Obligation  Fund  (USOF)  LWE  (Left  Wing  Extremism)  Phase  -II Project - To provide 4G mobile coverage in villages in LWE areas of Balaghat District.
- iii. Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) 4G Saturation Scheme- BSNL is entrusted with  the  responsibility  to  provide  4G  mobile  coverage  in  2146  villages  of  Madhya Pradesh.
- iv. Special  Assistance  to  Madhya  Pradesh  Government  for  utilization  of  Bharatnet  to provide FTTH connections in Government Institutions from the Gram Panchayats (GPs) in Madhya Pradesh.

Annexure referred to in reply of part (a) to (c) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3456 to be  answered  on  22 nd   March,  2023  raised  by  Hon'ble  Member  of  Parliament  regarding 'Telecommunications Facilities in Tribal Areas'

Details of schemes/projects to improve the communication network/system in rural, tribal and hilly areas across the country:

- i. Under LWE Phase-I scheme, 2,343 mobile towers have been installed in LWE areas which including 96 mobile towers of the State of West Bengal and are providing services. Under LWE Phase-II scheme, 2,542 mobile towers at Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) identified locations are approved across the LWE States;
- ii. Scheme  for  providing  mobile  connectivity  in  354  villages  of  uncovered  border  areas including Ladakh and Kargil Region, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and other priority areas.;
- iii. Comprehensive Telecom Development Plan for mobile connectivity in the North Eastern Region to provide mobile coverage in uncovered villages and along with the National Highways;
- iv. Scheme for providing 4G mobile connectivity in 502 uncovered villages of Aspirational Districts in four States, namely, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan;
- v. Scheme  for  provisioning  of  4G  based  Mobile  service  in  7287  uncovered  villages  of Aspirational Districts of 5 States Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Odisha;
- vi. Laying of submarine optical fibre cable between Chennai and Andaman & Nicobar Islands for providing connectivity to Andaman & Nicobar Islands;
- vii. Submarine OFC connectivity between Kochi and Lakshadweep Islands.
- viii. Mobile connectivity to cover uncovered villages and along National Highway (NH 223) in Andaman & Nicobar Islands;
- ix. USOF 4G Saturation Scheme to cover 24,680 uncovered villages with 4G and 6,279 villages having 2G/3G connectivity are to be upgraded to 4G.
- x. BharatNet project to create network to connect all the Gram Panchayats and villages with broadband infrastructure.

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