Lok Sabha Question No. 2606 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-08-04
Subject: National Optical Fibre Network
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Vishnu Dayal Ram

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2606 TO BE ANSWERED ON 4 TH  AUGUST, 2021

## NATIONAL OPTICAL FIBRE NETWORK

## †2606. SHRI VISHNU DAYAL RAM:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of Optical Fibre laid so far under National Optical Fibre Network Project;
- (b) the number of Gram Panchayats across the country which are connected under this project, State/ UT-wise;
- (c) the  number  of  Gram  Panchayats  which  are  still  to  be  connected  thereunder  in  the  State  of Jharkhand, district-wise; and
- (d) the  amount  spent  by  the  Government  on  this  project  so  far  and  the  estimated  cost  outlay  to complete this project?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) BharatNet project (earlier known as National Optical Fibre Network)is being implemented in a phased manner to provide broadband connectivity to all Gram Panchayats (GPs) in the  country. As on 09.07.2021,  a  total  of  5,30,928  km  Optical  Fibre  Cable  (OFC)  has  been  laid  under  this  project  in  the country.
- (b) The  State/Union  Territory  (UT)-wise  details  of  the  Service  Ready  Gram  Panchayats  under BharatNet project in the country are given in Annexure-I .
- (c) In the State of Jharkhand, the District-wise details of the GPs which are yet to be made Service Ready under BharatNet project, are given in Annexure-II.
- (d) The  State/UT-wise  funds  allocation  is  based  on  the  requests  received  from  the  Implementing Agencies.  As  on  31.03.2021,  an  amount  of  about  Rs.  24,201  crore  has  been  allocated/utilized  under BharatNet Project in the country.

The scope of BharatNet has been recently extended upto all inhabited villages beyond GPs. On 30.06.2021,  Union  Cabinet  accorded  approval  for  a  revised  strategy  for  implementation  of  BharatNet through  Public-Private  Partnership  (PPP)  model  in  16  States  of  the  country  covering  about  3.61  lakh villages  including  GPs. The  total  approved  cost  for  BharatNet  project  is  now  Rs.  61,109  crore.  This includes Rs. 42,068 Crore for BharatNet (Phase-I and Phase-II) and a maximum of Rs. 19,041 crore on Viability  Gap  Funding  (VGF)  for  implementation  of  the  Public  Private  Partnership  (PPP)  model  of BharatNet in 16 States. Since the approval for extending Fibre connectivity to all inhabited villages in the country has been taken very recently, the estimated incremental cost for the same for all the States/ UTs has not been finalized.

Annexure referred to in Part (b) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2606 for answer on 04.08.2021 State/UT-wise  details  of  the  Service  Ready  Gram  Panchayats  under  BharatNet  project  (as  on 09.07.2021)

| S. No.   | State/UT                           |   No. of Service Ready GPs |
|----------|------------------------------------|----------------------------|
| 1        | Andaman &Nicobar Islands           |                         21 |
| 2        | Andhra Pradesh*                    |                       1703 |
| 3        | Arunachal Pradesh                  |                        721 |
| 4        | Assam                              |                       1497 |
| 5        | Bihar                              |                       8295 |
| 6        | Chandigarh                         |                         12 |
| 7        | Chhattisgarh*                      |                       7870 |
| 8        | Dadra &Nagar Haveli and Daman &Diu |                         36 |
| 9        | Goa#                               |                          0 |
| 10       | Gujarat*                           |                      13644 |
| 11       | Haryana                            |                       6082 |
| 12       | Himachal Pradesh                   |                        394 |
| 13       | Jammu &Kashmir                     |                       1001 |
| 14       | Jharkhand*                         |                       3686 |
| 15       | Karnataka                          |                       6080 |
| 16       | Kerala                             |                        977 |
| 17       | Ladakh                             |                        186 |
| 18       | Lakshadweep                        |                          7 |
| 19       | Madhya Pradesh                     |                      15783 |
| 20       | Maharashtra*                       |                      19354 |
| 21       | Manipur                            |                       1436 |
| 22       | Meghalaya                          |                        598 |
| 23       | Mizoram                            |                        446 |
| 24       | Nagaland                           |                        223 |
| 25       | Odisha*                            |                       5913 |
| 26       | Puducherry                         |                         98 |
| 27       | Punjab                             |                      12665 |
| 28       | Rajasthan                          |                       8760 |
| 29       | Sikkim                             |                         22 |
| 30       | Tamil Nadu*$                       |                          0 |
| 31       | Telangana*                         |                       4187 |
| 32       | Tripura                            |                        711 |
| 33       | Uttar Pradesh                      |                      31633 |
| 34       | Uttarakhand                        |                       1616 |
| 35       | West Bengal                        |                       2262 |
| Total    | Total                              |                     157919 |

Note: Delhi has no GPs and thus not taken up under BharatNet Project.

## Annexure-II

Annexure referred to in Part (c) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2606 for answer on 04.08.2021 The  District-wise  details  of  the  GPs  which  are  yet  to  be  made  Service  Ready  under  BharatNet project in Jharkhand (as on 09.07.2021)

| S. No.   | Name of District      |   No. of GPs which are yet to be made Service Ready |
|----------|-----------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|
| 1        | Bokaro                |                                                   9 |
| 2        | Deoghar               |                                                  10 |
| 3        | Hazaribag             |                                                  12 |
| 4        | Koderma               |                                                   6 |
| 5        | Ramgarh               |                                                   2 |
| 6        | Ranchi                |                                                  12 |
| 7        | Sahebganj             |                                                   5 |
| 8        | Dhanbad               |                                                  78 |
| 9        | East Singhbhum        |                                                  38 |
| 10       | Giridih               |                                                   7 |
| 11       | Latehar               |                                                  16 |
| 12       | Lohardaga             |                                                   4 |
| 13       | Palamu                |                                                  33 |
| 14       | Chatra                |                                                  46 |
| 15       | Dumka                 |                                                  61 |
| 16       | Garhwa                |                                                  69 |
| 17       | Godda                 |                                                  44 |
| 18       | Gumla                 |                                                  59 |
| 19       | Jamtara               |                                                  36 |
| 20       | Khunti                |                                                   7 |
| 21       | Pakur                 |                                                  20 |
| 22       | Saraikela - Kharsawan |                                                  32 |
| 23       | Simdega               |                                                  22 |
| 24       | West Singhbhum        |                                                  81 |
| Total    | Total                 |                                                 709 |

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