Lok Sabha Question No. 5608 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-04-06
Subject: USOF
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Arjunlal Meena, Sangamlal Kadedin Gupta, Chandra Prakash Joshi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5608 TO BE ANSWERED ON 6 TH  APRIL, 2022

## USOF

## †5608. SHRI ARJUN LAL MEENA: SHRI SANGAM LAL GUPTA: SHRI CHANDRA PRAKASH JOSHI:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

(a) the  year-wise  details  of  the  funds  released  by  the  Government  under  the  Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) for Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh during the last five years;

(b) the details of works carried out in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh with the funds released under USOF during the last five years;

(c) whether  the  Government  has  any  plan  to  sanction  more  mobile  towers  for  the villages/settlements not covered in Chittorgarh and Pratapgarh Parliamentary constituencies during the financial year 2022-23;

- (d) if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

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

(a) The year-wise details of the funds released from Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) during the last five years in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh are given in Annexure-I .

(b) In  Rajasthan,  total  8,696  Gram  Panchayats  (GPs)  have  been  made  Service  Ready under BharatNet project. Further, 1,589 Wi-Fi hotspots have been installed at Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited's  (BSNL) rural exchanges under USOF schemes during the last five years. Further,  30  villages  under  'Border  areas  &  other  priority  areas  scheme'  and  195  villages under '502 Aspirational District villages scheme' have been included for providing mobile coverage in Rajasthan.

In Uttar Pradesh, total 31,342 Gram Panchayats (GPs) have been made Service Ready under BharatNet project, 1,964 Wi-Fi hotspots have been installed at BSNL's rural exchanges and 78 towers have been installed under Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected areas scheme (Phase-I) during the last five years. Further, 8 villages under 'Border areas & other priority areas scheme', 22 villages under '502 Aspirational District villages scheme' and 42 towers under 'LWE Phase-II scheme' have been included for providing mobile coverage in Uttar Pradesh.

(c) to (e) Mobile  services  are  provided  in  a  phased  manner  by  the  Government  and Telecom  Services  Provider  (TSPs)  in  the  uncovered  villages  of  the  country.  As  of  now, installation of mobile towers has not been approved under any USOF scheme in Chittorgarh and Pratapgarh Parliamentary Constituencies during the Financial year 2022-23.

Annexure  referred  to  in  Part  (a)  of  the  Lok  Sabha  Unstarred  Question  No.  5608  to  be answered on 06.04.2022

Year-wise details of funds released from the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) for Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh during the last five years (Figures in Rs. Crore)

| Financial Year   |   Funds released for Rajasthan |   Funds released for Uttar Pradesh |
|------------------|--------------------------------|------------------------------------|
| 2016-17          |                         164.12 |                             645.97 |
| 2017-18          |                         159.51 |                            1417.45 |
| 2018-19          |                         165.94 |                             509.88 |
| 2019-20          |                         207.11 |                             673.39 |
| 2020-21          |                         259.23 |                             682.63 |

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