Lok Sabha Question No. 25 (STARRED), answered on 2021-02-03
Subject: Digital Facility and Optical Fibre Connectivity
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Chunni Lal Sahu, Raghu Ramakrishna Raju Kanumuru

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK  SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 25 TO BE ANSWERED ON 3 RD  FEBRUARY, 2021

## DIGITAL FACILITY AND OPTICAL FIBRE CONNECTIVITY

## †*25.   SHRI CHUNNI LAL SAHU:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  proposes  to  provide  more  digital  facilities  by  connecting  all  the regions of the country through optical fibre network under the Digital India Scheme;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the number of villages connected by optical fibre cable so far, State/UT-wise; and
- (d) whether the mobile network connectivity and related facilities have started in all the villages of strategic importance and border areas and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS, LAW & JUSTICE AND ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD)

- (a) to (d) A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

## STATEMENT TO BE LAID ON THE TABLE OF LOK SABHA IN RESPECT OF PARTS (a) to  (d)  OF  LOK  SABHA  STARRED  QUESTION  NO.  25 FOR  3 RD FEBRUARY,  2021 REGARDING 'DIGITAL FACILITY AND OPTICAL FIBRE CONNECTIVITY'.

(a) to (c) Yes  Sir,  Government  of  India  is  implementing  BharatNet  project  to  provide  digital facilities through broadband connectivity to all the Gram Panchayats (GPs) (approx. 2,50,000) in the country  mainly  though  Optical  Fibre  Cable  (OFC).As  on  15.01.2021,  a  total  number  of  1,44,678 Villages  (Gram  Panchayats)  have  been  connected  through  OFC.  State/UT-wise  list  is  given  at Annexure-I.

(d)  State/UT-wise  list  of  total  inhabited  villages  as  per  Census  2011  and  the  number  of  villages covered with mobile connectivity in the country is given at Annexure-II.

## Annexure I referred to in Part (a) to (c) of the Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 25 for Answer on 03.02.2021.

## State/UT wise list of Villages (Gram Panchayats) connected by Optical Fibre Cable as on 15.01.2021

| S. No.   | State/UT                           | No. of Gram Panchayats(GPs)   | No. of Gram Panchayats(Villages) service ready on OFC   |
|----------|------------------------------------|-------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------|
| 1        | Andaman &Nicobar Islands           | 64                            | 7                                                       |
| 2        | Andhra Pradesh                     | 12869                         | 1687                                                    |
| 3        | Arunachal Pradesh                  | 1796                          | 79                                                      |
| 4        | Assam                              | 2750                          | 1497                                                    |
| 5        | Bihar                              | 8429                          | 8287                                                    |
| 6        | Chandigarh                         | 12                            | 12                                                      |
| 7        | Chhattisgarh                       | 10039                         | 6561                                                    |
| 8        | Dadra &Nagar Haveli and Daman &Diu | 36                            | 36                                                      |
| 9        | Gujarat                            | 14073                         | 13039                                                   |
| 10       | Haryana                            | 6082                          | 6080                                                    |
| 11       | Himachal Pradesh                   | 3191                          | 246                                                     |
| 12       | Jammu &Kashmir (including Ladakh)  | 4483                          | 381                                                     |
| 13       | Jharkhand                          | 4393                          | 3200                                                    |
| 14       | Karnataka                          | 6076                          | 6080                                                    |
| 15       | Kerala                             | 977                           | 977                                                     |
| 16       | Lakshadweep                        | 10                            | 0                                                       |
| 17       | Madhya Pradesh                     | 23415                         | 14509                                                   |
| 18       | Maharashtra                        | 27909                         | 18059                                                   |
| 19       | Manipur                            | 2785                          | 320                                                     |
| 20       | Meghalaya                          | 1791                          | 122                                                     |
| 21       | Mizoram                            | 763                           | 41                                                      |
| 22       | Nagaland                           | 994                           | 127                                                     |
| 23       | Odisha                             | 6781                          | 5127                                                    |
| 24       | Punjab                             | 12797                         | 12656                                                   |
| 25       | Puducherry                         | 98                            | 98                                                      |
| 26       | Rajasthan                          | 9892                          | 8711                                                    |
| 27       | Sikkim                             | 176                           | 22                                                      |
| 28       | Tamil Nadu                         | 12524                         | 0                                                       |
| 29       | Telangana                          | 12730                         | 1946                                                    |
| 30       | Tripura                            | 1021                          | 569                                                     |
| 31       | Uttarakhand                        | 7611                          | 1508                                                    |
| 32       | Uttar Pradesh                      | 55424                         | 30500                                                   |
| 33       | West Bengal                        | 3367                          | 2194                                                    |
|          | Total                              | 2,55,358                      | 1,44,678                                                |

## Annexure II referred to in Part (d) of the Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 25 for Answer on 03.02.2021.

## List of inhabited villages connected with mobile services as on 31.12.2020

| Sl. No.   | State/UT Name                      | No. of inhabited villages as per census 2011   | No. of inhabited villages with mobile services   |
|-----------|------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|
| 1.        | Andaman &Nicobar                   | 396                                            | 245                                              |
| 2.        | Andhra Pradesh                     | 16158                                          | 14371                                            |
| 3.        | Arunachal Pradesh                  | 5258                                           | 3035                                             |
| 4.        | Assam                              | 25372                                          | 24756                                            |
| 5.        | Bihar                              | 39073                                          | 38828                                            |
| 6.        | Chandigarh                         | 5                                              | 5                                                |
| 7.        | Chhattisgarh                       | 19567                                          | 17720                                            |
| 8.        | Dadra &Nagar Haveli and Daman &Diu | 84                                             | 84                                               |
| 9.        | Delhi                              | 103                                            | 103                                              |
| 10.       | Goa                                | 320                                            | 292                                              |
| 11.       | Gujarat                            | 17843                                          | 17331                                            |
| 12.       | Haryana                            | 6642                                           | 6642                                             |
| 13.       | Himachal Pradesh                   | 17882                                          | 17499                                            |
| 14.       | Jammu &Kashmir                     | 6101                                           | 5947                                             |
| 15.       | Jharkhand                          | 29492                                          | 28348                                            |
| 16.       | Karnataka                          | 27397                                          | 26956                                            |
| 17.       | Kerala                             | 1017                                           | 1017                                             |
| 18.       | Ladakh                             | 236                                            | 172                                              |
| 19.       | Lakshadweep                        | 6                                              | 5                                                |
| 20.       | Madhya Pradesh                     | 51929                                          | 49317                                            |
| 21.       | Maharashtra                        | 40959                                          | 38631                                            |
| 22.       | Manipur                            | 2515                                           | 2052                                             |
| 23.       | Meghalaya                          | 6459                                           | 4785                                             |
| 24.       | Mizoram                            | 704                                            | 498                                              |
| 25.       | Nagaland                           | 1400                                           | 1256                                             |
| 26.       | Odisha                             | 47677                                          | 41578                                            |
| 27.       | Punjab                             | 12168                                          | 12168                                            |
| 28.       | Puducherry                         | 90                                             | 90                                               |
| 29.       | Rajasthan                          | 43264                                          | 42323                                            |
| 30.       | Sikkim                             | 425                                            | 415                                              |
| 31.       | Tamil Nadu                         | 15049                                          | 15000                                            |
| 32.       | Telangana                          | 10128                                          | 9975                                             |
| 33.       | Tripura                            | 863                                            | 832                                              |
| 34.       | Uttarakhand                        | 15745                                          | 15319                                            |
| 35.       | Uttar Pradesh                      | 97813                                          | 97486                                            |
| 36.       | West Bengal                        | 37478                                          | 37470                                            |
|           | TOTAL                              | 5,97,618                                       | 5,72,551                                         |

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