Lok Sabha Question No. 3370 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-08-09
Subject: USOF
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Arun Kumar Sagar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3370 TO BE ANSWERED ON 9 TH  AUGUST, 2023

## USOF

## †3370. SHRI ARUN KUMAR SAGAR:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  Universal  Service  Obligation  Fund  (USOF)  has  been  provided  under  Telecom Policy-1999, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the provision of percentage of amount of Gross Revenue to be deposited by Telecom Operator Companies to this fund as per the Telecom Policy;

(c) whether all the Telecom Operator Companies have deposited the amount of Gross Revenue in USOF as per the rules;

- (d) if so, the details thereof along with the amount deposited as on date;
- (e) the details of the places in the country particularly in the backward class and the scheduled caste dominated areas where the Government has spent USOF for mobile network during the last five years, State-wise;
- (f) the details of the amount spent along with the details of the targets achieved, State-wise; and
- (g) the details of the amount to be paid for USOF as on date?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (g) As envisaged in the New Telecom Policy 1999, Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) was established under Indian Telegraph (Amendment) Act, 2003.

At present, as per the License agreement the license fee 8% of the Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) is inclusive of USO Levy which is 5% of the AGR. Telecom Service Providers are depositing the Licence Fee as per license agreement. As on 31.03.2023, total of Rs. 1,40,150.32 Crore has been collected as Universal Access Levy under USOF.

USOF funded schemes inter alia provides mobile network in rural and remote areas which also includes Backward and Scheduled Castes dominated areas. The State/UT-wise details of funds disbursed/  spent  during  last  five  years  (2018-19  to  2022-23)  under  various  USOF  Schemes  for providing  Mobile  Network  in rural  and  remote  areas  including  Backward  and  Scheduled  Castes dominated areas is given in Annexure-I . Physical achievements made under the said Schemes during last five years (2018-19 to 2022-23) is given in Annexure-II.

An amount of Rs. 69,126.84 Crore is available in the USO Fund at the end of March 2023.

## ANNEXURE-I

Annexure referred to in Part (a) to (g) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3370 to be answered on 09.08.2023

The State/UT-wise details of funds disbursed/ spent during last five years (2018-19 to 2022-23) under  various  USOF  Schemes  for  providing  Mobile  Network  in  the  Country  which  also includes Backward and Scheduled Castes dominated areas

| Sl. No.   | Name of State/UTs                                      |   Figures in Rs. Crore |
|-----------|--------------------------------------------------------|------------------------|
| 1         | Andaman and Nicobar                                    |                     10 |
| 2         | Andhra Pradesh                                         |                    294 |
| 3         | Assam                                                  |                    337 |
| 4         | NE-I (including Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura)           |                    268 |
| 5         | NE-II (including Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland) |                    429 |
| 6         | Bihar                                                  |                    223 |
| 7         | Chhattisgarh                                           |                    660 |
| 8         | Gujrat                                                 |                     23 |
| 9         | Himachal Pradesh                                       |                     21 |
| 10        | Jharkhand                                              |                    591 |
| 11        | Jammu and Kashmir (including Ladakh)                   |                     76 |
| 12        | Karnataka                                              |                     54 |
| 13        | Kerala                                                 |                     13 |
| 14        | Lakshadweep                                            |                     10 |
| 15        | Maharashtra                                            |                     69 |
| 16        | Madhya Pradesh                                         |                    208 |
| 17        | Odisha                                                 |                    537 |
| 18        | Rajasthan                                              |                    164 |
| 19        | Telangana                                              |                    111 |
| 20        | Tamil Nadu                                             |                     25 |
| 21        | Uttar Pradesh                                          |                     87 |
| 22        | Uttarakhand                                            |                     19 |
| 23        | West Bengal                                            |                     79 |
|           | Total                                                  |                   4309 |

Annexure referred to in Part (a) to (g) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3370 to be answered on 09.08.2023

## Physical achievements made during last five years (2018-19 to 2022-23) under various USOF Schemes to provide Mobile Network in the Country including Backward and Scheduled Castes dominated areas

| S. No.   | Name of States/UT   |   Number of Towers Installed |
|----------|---------------------|------------------------------|
| 1        | Andaman & Nicobar   |                            1 |
| 2        | Andhra Pradesh      |                           16 |
| 3        | Arunachal Pradesh   |                          199 |
| 4        | Assam               |                          515 |
| 5        | Bihar               |                           28 |
| 6        | Chhattisgarh        |                          191 |
| 7        | Gujarat             |                           45 |
| 8        | Himachal Pradesh    |                           37 |
| 9        | Jammu & Kashmir     |                           62 |
| 10       | Karnataka           |                            3 |
| 11       | Ladakh              |                           56 |
| 12       | Madhya Pradesh      |                           63 |
| 13       | Maharashtra         |                            6 |
| 14       | Manipur             |                          404 |
| 15       | Meghalaya           |                          318 |
| 16       | Mizoram             |                          214 |
| 17       | Nagaland            |                          152 |
| 18       | Odisha              |                           91 |
| 19       | Rajasthan           |                           50 |
| 20       | Sikkim              |                            8 |
| 21       | Tripura             |                            3 |
| 22       | Uttar Pradesh       |                           26 |
| 23       | Uttarakhand         |                           31 |
| 24       | West Bengal         |                            1 |
| Total    | Total               |                         2520 |

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