Lok Sabha Question No. 1221 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-14
Subject: Promoting Connectivity in Rural Areas
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Jayant Sinha

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1221 TO BE ANSWERED ON 14 TH  DECEMBER, 2022

## PROMOTING CONNECTIVITY IN RURAL AREAS

## 1221. SHRI JAYANT SINHA:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of the steps taken by the Government to promote connectivity in rural areas;
- (b) the details of internet penetration in the country, State-wise including rural and urban areas; and
- (c) the details of internet penetration in Jharkhand, district-wise?

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS

## ANSWER (SHRI DEVUSINH CHAUHAN)

- (a) Government and Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) provide telecommunication connectivity in the country in a phased manner. Government is implementing various schemes under Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) to enhance telecom connectivity in the rural areas of the country and areas affected by Left Wing Extremism (LWE), Border areas, Aspirational Districts and Islands. Further, BharatNet project is implemented in a phased manner to provide broadband connectivity to all inhabited villages in the country. The list of the major USOF schemes are given in Annexure-I.
- (b) & (c) As per the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India(TRAI)report dated 23.11.2022, the State/UT-wise details of internet penetration in rural and urban areas in the country including the State of Jharkhand and its districts is attached as Annexure-II.

## Annexure-I

Annexure referred to in reply of part (a) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1221 to be answered on 14/12/2022 raised by Hon'ble Member of Parliament regarding 'Promoting connectivity in rural areas'

## List of the major USOF schemes:

- (i) BharatNet project
- (ii) Saturation of 4G mobile services in uncovered villages across the country
- (iii) Provision of 4G mobile services in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected areas under PhaseII
- (iv) Provision  of  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
- (v) Provision of 4G Mobile Services in Uncovered villages of Meghalaya and seamless coverage along National Highway
- (vi) Provision of 4G Mobile Services in Uncovered Villages of Arunachal Pradesh and 2 Districts of Assam
- (vii) Hiring  of  10  Gbps  International  Bandwidth  through  BSNL  for  Internet  Connectivity  to Agartala from BSCCL, Bangladesh via Cox Bazar. Approval has been issued for hiring of additional 10 Gbps International Bandwidth also.
- (viii) Provision  of  mobile  connectivity  in  354  uncovered  villages  of  J&K,  Ladakh,  Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Border area & other priority areas
- (ix) Provision of 4G mobile connectivity in 502 uncovered villages of Aspirational Districts in four States (namely Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh & Rajasthan)
- (x) Remaining 7,287 Aspirational District villages (Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Odisha) for provision of 4G mobile services
- (xi) Provision  of  4G  Mobile  Coverage  in  85  uncovered  Villages  and  seamless  4G  Mobile coverage of NH223 in Andaman & Nicobar Islands
- (xii) Laying of submarine OFC Connectivity between Mainland India (Kochi) and Lakshadweep Islands
- (xiii) Public Wi-Fi hotspots at the 25,000 rural telephone exchanges of BSNL

Annexure referred to in reply of part (b) to (c) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1221 to be answered on 14/12/2022 raised by Hon'ble Member of Parliament regarding 'Promoting connectivity in rural areas'

The State/UT-wise details of internet penetrationin the country is as below: -

| Sr. No.   | State/UT Name                      | Internet Penetration(%)   | Internet Penetration(%)   | Internet Penetration(%)   |
|-----------|------------------------------------|---------------------------|---------------------------|---------------------------|
| Sr. No.   | State/UT Name                      | Rural                     | Urban                     | Total                     |
| 1         | Andaman &Nicobar Islands           | 84.3                      | 130.62                    | 104.56                    |
| 2         | Andhra Pradesh                     | 47.79                     | 83.53                     | 60.68                     |
| 3         | Arunachal Pradesh                  | 38.83                     | 84.57                     | 50.48                     |
| 4         | Assam                              | 32.89                     | 115.02                    | 45.61                     |
| 5         | Bihar                              | 27.07                     | 94.52                     | 35.31                     |
| 6         | Chandigarh                         | -                         | 64.97                     | 64.97                     |
| 7         | Chattisgarh                        | 32.9                      | 100.08                    | 50.97                     |
| 8         | Dadar &Nagar Haweli and Daman &Diu | 99.86                     | 37.26                     | 49.46                     |
| 9         | Goa                                | 160.68                    | 105.23                    | 119.04                    |
| 10        | Gujarat                            | 44.91                     | 100.26                    | 71.7                      |
| 11        | Haryana                            | 46.42                     | 107.63                    | 71.95                     |
| 12        | Himachal Pradesh                   | 54.94                     | 299.05                    | 80.06                     |
| 13        | Jammu &Kashmir                     | 41.31                     | 117.39                    | 64.42                     |
| 14        | Jharkhand                          | 31.44                     | 74.48                     | 42.66                     |
| 15        | Karnataka                          | 48.76                     | 103.52                    | 72.91                     |
| 16        | Kerala                             | 152.61                    | 62.07                     | 85.7                      |
| 17        | Ladakh                             | 73.01                     | 37.44                     | 62.21                     |
| 18        | Lakshdweep                         | -                         | 123.82                    | 123.82                    |
| 19        | Madhya Pradesh                     | 27.82                     | 102.47                    | 49.41                     |
| 20        | Maharashtra                        | 47.38                     | 113.35                    | 79.27                     |
| 21        | Manipur                            | 39.29                     | 114.22                    | 63.45                     |
| 22        | Meghalaya                          | 42.38                     | 99.38                     | 54.14                     |
| 23        | Mizoram                            | 82.48                     | 94.01                     | 88.8                      |
| 24        | Nagaland                           | 71.09                     | 62.47                     | 67.22                     |
| 25        | NCT of Delhi                       | -                         | 198.03                    | 198.03                    |
| 26        | Odisha                             | 39.04                     | 87.09                     | 48.05                     |
| 27        | Puduchery                          | 49.68                     | 36.48                     | 40.43                     |
| 28        | Punjab                             | 47.83                     | 130.97                    | 82.4                      |
| 29        | Rajasthan                          | 36.19                     | 108.34                    | 55.32                     |
| 30        | Sikkim                             | 102.39                    | 109.25                    | 105.66                    |
| 31        | Tamil Nadu                         | 43.15                     | 98.64                     | 72.77                     |
| 32        | Telangana                          | 57.29                     | 107.35                    | 80.97                     |
| 33        | Tripura                            | 35.89                     | 60.35                     | 45.3                      |
| 34        | Uttar Pradesh                      | 28.66                     | 95.21                     | 44.59                     |
| 35        | Uttarakhand                        | 52.44                     | 107.85                    | 72.16                     |
| 36        | West Bengal                        | 34.29                     | 97.82                     | 57.49                     |
|           | Total                              | 37.86                     | 103.27                    | 60.73                     |

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