Lok Sabha Question No. 2167 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-08-02
Subject: Optical Fibre Cable
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Nishikant  Dubey

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2167 TO BE ANSWERED ON 2 ND  AUGUST, 2023

## OPTICAL FIBRE CABLE

## 2167.   DR. NISHIKANT DUBEY:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of the number of villages connected with Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) during each of the last three years;
- (b) the  details  of  phase-wise  completion  of  BharatNet  including  the  original  timelines  for completion, actual dates of completion and current status of each phase; and
- (c) the  details  and  the  number  of  villages  yet  to  be  connected  by  OFC,  State-wise  including Jharkhand?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) The number of Gram Panchayats (GPs) that are made service ready on Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) under BharatNet project during each of the last three years (cumulative)  is given in table below:
- (b) The  phase-wise  details  of  completion  of  BharatNet  including  the  original  timelines  for completion, actual dates of completion and current status of each phase as of June 2023 is given in table below:

| March, 2021   | March, 2022   | March, 2023   |
|---------------|---------------|---------------|
| 1,50,781 GPs  | 1,69,922 GPs  | 1,85,736 GPs  |

| Phase                            | Target GPs   | Service ready GPs   | Target date    | Actual/expected completion date   |
|----------------------------------|--------------|---------------------|----------------|-----------------------------------|
| Phase-I                          | 1,00,000     | 1,00,000            | December, 2017 | December, 2017                    |
| Additional work front of Phase-I | 20,206       | 20,040              | March, 2019    | December, 2023                    |
| Phase-II                         | 1,02,363     | 74,869              | March, 2019    | March, 2024                       |

41,811 GPs are planned to be connected through revised strategy which is under formulation and approval.

- (c) The details of villages yet to be connected by OFC under BharatNet, State-wise including Jharkhand as of June, 2023 is given at Annexure-I .

Annexure referred  to  in  Part  (c)  of  the  Lok  Sabha  Unstarred  Question  No.  2167  for  answer  on 02.08.2023

State/UT-wise details of villages yet to be connected by OFC under BharatNet

| S.No.   | State/UT                          |   Total villages (including GPs) |   GPs where BharatNet connectivity extended |   GPs/villages where BharatNet connectivity yet to be extended |
|---------|-----------------------------------|----------------------------------|---------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1       | Andaman & Nicobar                 |                              367 |                                          72 |                                                            295 |
| 2       | Andhra Pradesh                    |                            17368 |                                        5214 |                                                          12154 |
| 3       | Arunachal Pradesh                 |                             5545 |                                         996 |                                                           4549 |
| 4       | Assam                             |                            27914 |                                        1511 |                                                          26403 |
| 5       | Bihar                             |                            45212 |                                        8328 |                                                          36884 |
| 6       | Chandigarh                        |                                0 |                                          12 |                                                              0 |
| 7       | Chhattisgarh                      |                            20010 |                                        9587 |                                                          10423 |
| 8       | Dadra& Nagar Haveli & Daman & Diu |                              101 |                                          38 |                                                             63 |
| 9       | Goa#                              |                              396 |                                           0 |                                                            396 |
| 10      | Gujarat                           |                            18182 |                                       14264 |                                                           3918 |
| 11      | Haryana                           |                             7017 |                                        6082 |                                                            935 |
| 12      | Himachal Pradesh                  |                            19154 |                                         408 |                                                          18746 |
| 13      | Jammu & Kashmir                   |                             6855 |                                        1097 |                                                           5758 |
| 14      | Jharkhand                         |                            31172 |                                        4378 |                                                          26794 |
| 15      | Karnataka                         |                            32128 |                                        6084 |                                                          26044 |
| 16      | Kerala                            |                             1370 |                                         978 |                                                            392 |
| 17      | Ladakh                            |                              244 |                                         193 |                                                             51 |
| 18      | Lakshadweep                       |                               29 |                                           9 |                                                             20 |
| 19      | Madhya Pradesh                    |                            52547 |                                       17848 |                                                          34699 |
| 20      | Maharashtra                       |                            44036 |                                       23963 |                                                          20073 |
| 21      | Manipur                           |                             3811 |                                        1467 |                                                           2344 |
| 22      | Meghalaya                         |                             6797 |                                         682 |                                                           6115 |
| 23      | Mizoram                           |                              864 |                                         491 |                                                            373 |
| 24      | Nagaland                          |                             1626 |                                         232 |                                                           1394 |
| 25      | Odisha                            |                            51255 |                                        6785 |                                                          44470 |
| 26      | Puducherry                        |                              117 |                                          98 |                                                             19 |
| 27      | Punjab                            |                            13337 |                                       12668 |                                                            669 |
| 28      | Rajasthan                         |                            46354 |                                        8773 |                                                          37581 |
| 29      | Sikkim                            |                              414 |                                          35 |                                                            379 |
| 30      | Tamil Nadu                        |                            17287 |                                        3898 |                                                          13389 |
| 31      | Telangana                         |                            12769 |                                        9766 |                                                           3003 |
| 32      | Tripura                           |                             1021 |                                         731 |                                                            290 |
| 33      | Uttar Pradesh                     |                           103895 |                                       43634 |                                                          60261 |
| 34      | Uttarakhand                       |                            16113 |                                        1983 |                                                          14130 |
| 35      | West Bengal                       |                            39196 |                                        2604 |                                                          36592 |
|         | Total                             |                           644503 |                                      194909 |                                                         449606 |

# Goa had its own similar broadband network and thus not taken up under Ph-I & Phase-II of BharatNet Project.

Note: Delhi has no GPs and thus not taken up under BharatNet Project.

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