Lok Sabha Question No. 2922 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-17
Subject: BharatNet Project
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Shri Nalin Soren, Shri Vijay Baghel

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2922 ANSWERED ON 17 TH  DECEMBER, 2025

## BHARATNET PROJECT

## †2922. SHRI NALIN SOREN: SHRI VIJAY BAGHEL:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

(a) the present status of implementation of BharatNet Project in Jharkhand along with the number of Gram Panchayats (GP) and villages connected so far thereunder;

(b) the details of the progress made  under the BharatNet Phase-II and  State-led  model under BharatNet project;

(c) the  details  of  fiber  rollout  plan,  Wi-Fi  hotspots  operation    and  service  promptness  in connected gram panchayats along  with  the active  broadband use  by  households and institutions, State-wise;

- (d) whether the Government has assessed the impact of BharatNet on governance, education, telemedicine, agriculture and digital payment etc. sectors in rural areas;
- (e) if so, the outcome thereof;
- (f) the eligibility criteria, incentives and implementation status of BharatNet Udyami initiative to enable home fiber connection in rural areas;
- (g) the details of pilot scheme introduced under BharatNet Udyami initiative; and
- (h) the details of target achieved/achievement made so far thereunder?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT (DR. PEMMASANI CHANDRA SEKHAR)

(a) & (b) In  Jharkhand,  4,390  GPs  have  been  made  service-ready  under  BharatNet  as  of 30.11.2025, out of which 1,686 GPs have been made service-ready in Phase-II, which  includes 1,672 GPs covered under the State-led model and 14 GPs covered by satellite.

(c) Total number of service ready Gram Panchayats (GPs) in the country is 2,14,904 as on Nov2025  Wi-Fi service is supported by equipment installed at many GPs. The State/UT-wise status of FTTH connections provided under BharatNet is attached at Annexure-I .

(d) & (e) Yes,  BSNL  conducted  a  third-party  audit  during  March-April  2024  to  assess  the implementation of a pilot  project  for  implementation  of  5  lakh  FTTH  connections  in  rural  areas through the BharatNet network. The audit findings indicated satisfactory coverage of FTTH services across various States/UTs through OLT installed by BNU partners.

(f) BNU  could  be  a  village  level  entrepreneur,  Internet  Service  Provider,  Self  Help  Group (SHG),  etc.  BharatNet  Udyamis  (BNUs)  will  be  used  for  providing  and  maintaining  last-mile connectivity  from  village  to  household.  BNUs  will  be  given  a  one-time  financial  incentive  for activating new home fibre connections. To incentivize continuity of services, BNUs will also receive a share of the monthly revenue. As on 08.12.2025, total 7,52,161 connections provided by BNUs have been working.

(g) & (h) A pilot project for rolling out of 5 Lakh FTTH connections by BSNL using BharatNet through BharatNet Udyamies (BNUs) was approved with financial subsidy from DBN. The target under the pilot is achieved on 01.05.2024.

Annexure-I

| Utilization of BharatNet project (as of Nov,2025)   | Utilization of BharatNet project (as of Nov,2025)   | Utilization of BharatNet project (as of Nov,2025)   |
|-----------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|
| S. No.                                              | State                                               | Total FTTH connection                               |
| 1                                                   | Andaman &Nicobar                                    | 9122                                                |
| 2                                                   | Andhra Pradesh                                      | 51734                                               |
| 3                                                   | Arunachal Pradesh                                   | 22                                                  |
| 4                                                   | Assam                                               | 6317                                                |
| 5                                                   | Bihar                                               | 46764                                               |
| 6                                                   | Chandigarh                                          | 1                                                   |
| 7                                                   | Chhattisgarh                                        | 14498                                               |
| 8                                                   | Dadra &Nagar Haveli                                 | 222                                                 |
| 9                                                   | Gujarat                                             | 110665                                              |
| 10                                                  | Haryana                                             | 169931                                              |
| 11                                                  | Himachal Pradesh                                    | 4248                                                |
| 12                                                  | Jammu& Kashmir                                      | 10460                                               |
| 13                                                  | Jharkhand                                           | 28089                                               |
| 14                                                  | Karnataka                                           | 59813                                               |
| 15                                                  | Kerala                                              | 237913                                              |
| 16                                                  | Madhya Pradesh                                      | 64893                                               |
| 17                                                  | Maharashtra                                         | 31098                                               |
| 18                                                  | Manipur                                             | 4911                                                |
| 19                                                  | Meghalaya                                           | 167                                                 |
| 20                                                  | Mizoram                                             | 65                                                  |
| 21                                                  | Nagaland                                            | 152                                                 |
| 22                                                  | Odisha                                              | 11748                                               |
| 23                                                  | Puducherry                                          | 4476                                                |
| 24                                                  | Punjab                                              | 260125                                              |
| 25                                                  | Rajasthan                                           | 56462                                               |
| 26                                                  | Sikkim                                              | 46                                                  |
| 27                                                  | Tamil Nadu                                          | 805                                                 |
| 28                                                  | Telangana                                           | 26203                                               |
| 29                                                  | Tripura                                             | 1543                                                |
| 30                                                  | Uttar Pradesh                                       | 94144                                               |
| 31                                                  | Uttarakhand                                         | 23750                                               |
| 32                                                  | West Bengal                                         | 62380                                               |
| Total                                               | Total                                               | 1392767                                             |

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