Lok Sabha Question No. 1806 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-12-08
Subject: Mobile Services in LWE areas
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Behanan Benny

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1806 TO BE ANSWERED ON 8 TH  DECEMBER, 2021

## MOBILE SERVICES IN LWE AREAS

## 1806.   SHRI BENNY BEHANAN:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

(a) the  number  of  villages  in  rural  areas  and  areas  affected  by  Left  Wing  Extremism (LWE)  in  the  country  which  are  yet  to  be  connected  with  mobile  telephone  and  internet services, as on date, State/UT-wise;

(b) the  schemes/programmes  implemented  by  the  Government  to  ensure  mobile  and internet services in each village of the country; and

(c) the details of the funds provided by the Government under the said schemes/programmes during each of the last three years and the current year, State/ UT-wise and the Schemes/Programme-wise?

## ANSWER

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

(a) As  per  data  provided  by  Telecom  Service  Providers  (TSP)  and  field  units  of  the Department of Telecommunications, as of December 2020, it is estimated that out of 5,97,618 inhabited  villages  (as  per  census  2011)  of  the  country, 25,067  villages  including  areas affected by Left Wing Extremism do not have mobile and internet coverage. The State/UT wise status of mobile and internet connectivity in the villages of the country is enclosed as Annexure-I .

(b) The details  of  major  Government  Schemes  funded  by  Universal  Service  Obligation Fund (USOF) for mobile and internet connectivity is placed as Annexure-II.

(c) Scheme-wise and State-wise details of disbursement of Funds for USOF schemes for providing  Mobile  and  Internet  Services  during  last  three  years  (2018-19  to  2020-21)  and current year 2021-22 (upto Oct., 2021) are enclosed as Annexure-III & IV.

## Annexure-I

Annexure referred to in Part (a) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1806 for answer on 08.12.2021

## State/UT-wise details of the number of villages in rural areas including areas affected by Left Wing Extremism (LWE) without mobile and internet connectivity

| S. No.   | State/UT                 |   No. of uncovered villages |
|----------|--------------------------|-----------------------------|
| 1.       | Andaman &Nicobar Islands |                         151 |
| 2.       | Andhra Pradesh           |                        1787 |
| 3.       | Arunachal Pradesh        |                        2223 |
| 4.       | Assam                    |                         616 |
| 5.       | Bihar                    |                         245 |
| 6.       | Chhattisgarh             |                        1847 |
| 7.       | Goa                      |                          28 |
| 8.       | Gujarat                  |                         512 |
| 9.       | Himachal Pradesh         |                         383 |
| 10.      | Jammu &Kashmir           |                         154 |
| 11.      | Jharkhand                |                        1144 |
| 12.      | Karnataka                |                         441 |
| 13.      | Ladakh                   |                          64 |
| 14.      | Lakshadweep              |                           1 |
| 15.      | Madhya Pradesh           |                        2612 |
| 16.      | Maharashtra              |                        2328 |
| 17.      | Manipur                  |                         463 |
| 18.      | Meghalaya                |                        1674 |
| 19.      | Mizoram                  |                         206 |
| 20.      | Nagaland                 |                         144 |
| 21.      | Odisha                   |                        6099 |
| 22.      | Rajasthan                |                         941 |
| 23.      | Sikkim                   |                          10 |
| 24.      | Tamil Nadu               |                          49 |
| 25.      | Telangana                |                         153 |
| 26.      | Tripura                  |                          31 |
| 27.      | Uttar Pradesh            |                         327 |
| 28.      | Uttarakhand              |                         426 |
| 29.      | West Bengal              |                           8 |
| Total    | Total                    |                       25067 |

## Annexure-II

Annexure referred to in Part (b) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1806 for answer on 08.12.2021

## Details of major Government Schemes under USOF for mobile and internet connectivity.

|   S.No. | Scheme                                                                                                                                                                                           |
|---------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|       1 | Left Wing Extremism Phase-I (LWE-I) Scheme.                                                                                                                                                      |
|       2 | Left Wing Extremism Phase-II (LWE-II) Scheme.                                                                                                                                                    |
|       3 | 354 uncovered villages scheme.                                                                                                                                                                   |
|       4 | Aspirational Districts scheme.                                                                                                                                                                   |
|       5 | Mobile Services in Uncovered villages in Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh (National Highways only) of NER and seamless coverage along National Highway. |
|       6 | Mobile Services in Uncovered villages of Meghalaya and seamless coverage along National Highway.                                                                                                 |
|       7 | Mobile Services in Uncovered Villages of Arunachal Pradesh and 2 Districts of Assam (Karbi Anglong &Dima Hasao).                                                                                 |
|       8 | Provision of 4G Mobile Coverage in 85 Uncovered Villages and seamless 4G Mobile coverage of NH223 in Andaman &Nicobar Islands.                                                                   |
|       9 | BharatNet project to provide broadband connectivity to all inhabited villages beyond GPs in the country including LWE areas.                                                                     |
|      10 | Setting up of 25000 Wi-Fi at Rural Exchanges of BSNL.                                                                                                                                            |

## Annexure-III

Annexure referred to in Part (c) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1806 for answer on 08.12.2021.

| Scheme-wise details of disbursement of funds from USOF to provide mobile and internet services in rural areas of the country   | Scheme-wise details of disbursement of funds from USOF to provide mobile and internet services in rural areas of the country   | Scheme-wise details of disbursement of funds from USOF to provide mobile and internet services in rural areas of the country   | Scheme-wise details of disbursement of funds from USOF to provide mobile and internet services in rural areas of the country   | Scheme-wise details of disbursement of funds from USOF to provide mobile and internet services in rural areas of the country   | Scheme-wise details of disbursement of funds from USOF to provide mobile and internet services in rural areas of the country   |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|                                                                                                                                |                                                                                                                                |                                                                                                                                |                                                                                                                                |                                                                                                                                | Rs. in Crore                                                                                                                   |
| Sl. No.                                                                                                                        | Activity                                                                                                                       | 2018-19                                                                                                                        | 2019-20                                                                                                                        | 2020-21                                                                                                                        | 2021-22 (upto Oct, 2021)                                                                                                       |
| 1                                                                                                                              | Setting up of 25000 Wi-Fi at Rural Exchanges of BSNL                                                                           | -                                                                                                                              | 128.45                                                                                                                         | 115.64                                                                                                                         | 45.52                                                                                                                          |
| 2                                                                                                                              | Provision of Mobile Services in 354 Uncovered Villages                                                                         | -                                                                                                                              | -                                                                                                                              | 0.52                                                                                                                           | 3.32                                                                                                                           |
| 3                                                                                                                              | BharatNet                                                                                                                      | 4145.54                                                                                                                        | 1657.74                                                                                                                        | 5919.79                                                                                                                        | 2876.28                                                                                                                        |
| 4                                                                                                                              | Provision of Mobile Services in Left Wing Extremism Affected Areas (LWE Phase-I)                                               | 414.31                                                                                                                         | 459.79                                                                                                                         | 305.03                                                                                                                         | 218.68                                                                                                                         |
| 5                                                                                                                              | Provision of Mobile Services in North Eastern Region and National Highways by Airtel                                           | -                                                                                                                              | 353.10                                                                                                                         | 280.78                                                                                                                         | 26.00                                                                                                                          |
|                                                                                                                                | Grand Total                                                                                                                    | 4559.85                                                                                                                        | 2599.08                                                                                                                        | 6621.76                                                                                                                        | 3169.8                                                                                                                         |

Annexure-IV Annexure referred to in Part (c) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1806 for answer on 08.12.2021.

| State/UT-wise details of disbursement of funds under major USOF schemes for providing mobile and internet services in rural areas of the country.   | State/UT-wise details of disbursement of funds under major USOF schemes for providing mobile and internet services in rural areas of the country.   | State/UT-wise details of disbursement of funds under major USOF schemes for providing mobile and internet services in rural areas of the country.   | State/UT-wise details of disbursement of funds under major USOF schemes for providing mobile and internet services in rural areas of the country.   | State/UT-wise details of disbursement of funds under major USOF schemes for providing mobile and internet services in rural areas of the country.   | State/UT-wise details of disbursement of funds under major USOF schemes for providing mobile and internet services in rural areas of the country.   |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Sl. No.                                                                                                                                             | State/UT                                                                                                                                            | 2018-19                                                                                                                                             | 2019-20                                                                                                                                             | 2020-21                                                                                                                                             | 2021-22 (Upto Oct., 2021)                                                                                                                           |
| 1                                                                                                                                                   | Andhra Pradesh                                                                                                                                      | 3.09                                                                                                                                                | 11.58                                                                                                                                               | 40.18                                                                                                                                               | 4.93                                                                                                                                                |
| 2                                                                                                                                                   | Assam                                                                                                                                               | -                                                                                                                                                   | 170.25                                                                                                                                              | 91.21                                                                                                                                               | 21.18                                                                                                                                               |
| 3                                                                                                                                                   | Bihar                                                                                                                                               | 35.79                                                                                                                                               | 58.73                                                                                                                                               | 34.30                                                                                                                                               | 7.63                                                                                                                                                |
| 4                                                                                                                                                   | Chhattisgarh                                                                                                                                        | 28.2                                                                                                                                                | 48.50                                                                                                                                               | 38.62                                                                                                                                               | 10.55                                                                                                                                               |
| 5                                                                                                                                                   | Centrally Allocated Funds #                                                                                                                         | 4314.7                                                                                                                                              | 1840.3                                                                                                                                              | 5981.5                                                                                                                                              | 3003.20                                                                                                                                             |
| 6                                                                                                                                                   | Gujarat                                                                                                                                             |                                                                                                                                                     | 0.37                                                                                                                                                | 5.60                                                                                                                                                | 5.54                                                                                                                                                |
| 7                                                                                                                                                   | Haryana                                                                                                                                             | 0.42                                                                                                                                                | 0.68                                                                                                                                                | 2.05                                                                                                                                                | 0.89                                                                                                                                                |
| 8                                                                                                                                                   | Himachal Pradesh                                                                                                                                    | -                                                                                                                                                   | 1.55                                                                                                                                                | 1.75                                                                                                                                                | 0.15                                                                                                                                                |
| 9                                                                                                                                                   | Jammu &Kashmir                                                                                                                                      | -                                                                                                                                                   | 0.68                                                                                                                                                | 0.12                                                                                                                                                | 1.03                                                                                                                                                |
| 10                                                                                                                                                  | Jharkhand                                                                                                                                           | 107.57                                                                                                                                              | 138.15                                                                                                                                              | 109.85                                                                                                                                              | 34.99                                                                                                                                               |
| 11                                                                                                                                                  | Karnataka                                                                                                                                           | -                                                                                                                                                   | 5.44                                                                                                                                                | -                                                                                                                                                   | -                                                                                                                                                   |
| 12                                                                                                                                                  | Kerala                                                                                                                                              | -                                                                                                                                                   | 5.34                                                                                                                                                | 2.08                                                                                                                                                | 1.38                                                                                                                                                |
| 13                                                                                                                                                  | Maharashtra                                                                                                                                         | 6.8                                                                                                                                                 | 19.25                                                                                                                                               | 15.97                                                                                                                                               | 24.32                                                                                                                                               |
| 14                                                                                                                                                  | Madhya Pradesh                                                                                                                                      | 2.59                                                                                                                                                | 3.03                                                                                                                                                | 11.65                                                                                                                                               | 2.06                                                                                                                                                |
| 15                                                                                                                                                  | NE-I*                                                                                                                                               | -                                                                                                                                                   | 47.98                                                                                                                                               | 57.99                                                                                                                                               | 5.12                                                                                                                                                |
| 16                                                                                                                                                  | NE-II**                                                                                                                                             | -                                                                                                                                                   | 136.12                                                                                                                                              | 129.35                                                                                                                                              | -                                                                                                                                                   |
| 17                                                                                                                                                  | Odisha                                                                                                                                              | 33.58                                                                                                                                               | 61.42                                                                                                                                               | 42.87                                                                                                                                               | 17.75                                                                                                                                               |
| 18                                                                                                                                                  | Punjab                                                                                                                                              | -                                                                                                                                                   | -                                                                                                                                                   | 2.44                                                                                                                                                | 2.82                                                                                                                                                |
| 19                                                                                                                                                  | Rajasthan                                                                                                                                           | -                                                                                                                                                   | 0.08                                                                                                                                                | 0.55                                                                                                                                                | 1.35                                                                                                                                                |
| 20                                                                                                                                                  | Telangana                                                                                                                                           | 16.66                                                                                                                                               | 4.91                                                                                                                                                | 14.76                                                                                                                                               | 6.15                                                                                                                                                |
| 21                                                                                                                                                  | Tamil Nadu                                                                                                                                          | -                                                                                                                                                   | 3.06                                                                                                                                                | 0.26                                                                                                                                                | 0.15                                                                                                                                                |
| 22                                                                                                                                                  | Uttar Pradesh                                                                                                                                       | 3.33                                                                                                                                                | 27.10                                                                                                                                               | 13.53                                                                                                                                               | 14.53                                                                                                                                               |
| 23                                                                                                                                                  | West Bengal                                                                                                                                         | 7.55                                                                                                                                                | 14.60                                                                                                                                               | 25.11                                                                                                                                               | 4.11                                                                                                                                                |
|                                                                                                                                                     | Total                                                                                                                                               | 4559.85                                                                                                                                             | 2599.08                                                                                                                                             | 6621.76                                                                                                                                             | 3169.8                                                                                                                                              |

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