Lok Sabha Question No. 5465 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-25
Subject: Broadband and Public Wi-Fi in Rural Areas
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Shri Vishnu Datt Sharma

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5465 TO BE ANSWERED ON 25 TH  MARCH, 2026

## BROADBAND AND PUBLIC WI-FI IN RURAL AREAS

## 5465.   SHRI VISHNU DATT SHARMA:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government is implementing BharatNet and PM-WANI to provide affordable broadband and public Wi-Fi in rural areas and if so, the details thereof;

(b) whether BharatNet fibre connections, PM-WANI hotspots and CSCs are functional in the districts of Katni, Panna and town of Khajuraho in the Khajuraho Lok Sabha region and the number of Gram Panchayats/locations covered and if so, the details thereof;

(c) the steps taken to prioritise connectivity for farmers, PHCs, schools and MSMEs in these districts;

(d) whether service  quality  or  coverage  is  inadequate  and  if  so,  the  reasons  therefor  and  the corrective actions taken along with timelines thereof; and

(e) whether the Government has any plan to expand digital literacy, support PDO/CSC viability and  link  connectivity  infrastructure  with  livelihood  opportunities  for  rural  households  in  these districts and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(a) With  a  view  to  proliferate  wi-fi  hotspots  across  the  country,  including  in  rural  areas, Government  has  launched  the  Prime  Minister  Wi-Fi  Access  Network  Interface  (PM-WANI) initiative.

BharatNet project is being implemented in a phased manner to create network to connect all the Gram Panchayats (GPs)/ Villages with broadband in the country. This infrastructure is leased to TSPs/ISPs for provision of internet connectivity in GPs/rural areas including villages/ Government institutions, schools, and private areas.

Further, Amended BharatNet Programme has been approved by Cabinet on 04.08.2023, for up-gradation of existing network of BharatNet Phase-I and Phase-II, creation of network in balance GPs, Operation and Maintenance for 10 years and utilization.

(b) A  total  of  2,611  FTTH  connections  are  operational  in  the  districts  of  Katni,  Panna  and Rajnagar Block of Chhatarpur District (Khajuraho town falls under Rajnagar Block), and 502 Gram Panchayats are covered as per the details given below:

| SN    | Location                              | GPs covered   |   FTTH Connections |
|-------|---------------------------------------|---------------|--------------------|
| 1     | Katni district                        | 115           |               1043 |
| 2     | Panna district                        | 387           |               1434 |
| 3     | Rajnagar Block of Chhatarpur district | 0 ( in ABP)   |                134 |
| Total | Total                                 | 502           |               2611 |

District-wise count of PM-WANI hotspots for Katni district, Panna district & Khajuraho town as per the C-DoT central registry, as on 10.03.2026 is given below:

|   SN | Location       | No. of Wi-Fi Hotspots                                                                                                                  |
|------|----------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|    1 | Katni district | 76 (Urban -55, Rural -21)                                                                                                              |
|    2 | Panna district | 40 (Urban -9, Rural -31)                                                                                                               |
|    3 | Khajuraho      | Khajuraho is in CHHATARPUR district, and there are a total of 89 PM- WANI Wi-Fi Hotspots in Chhatarpur district (Urban -16, Rural -73) |

(c), (d) & (e) The  internet  connections  in  rural  areas  including  for  farmers,  PHCs,  schools  and MSMEs is managed through BharatNet Udyamis (BNU) who could be a village level entrepreneur, Internet Service Provider, Self Help Group etc. BNUs is to be given a one-time financial incentive for activating new home fiber connections. To incentivize continuity of services, BNUs also receive a share of the monthly revenue (on established market practice).

Following corrective action have been taken to improve the network infrastructure, quality and speed of fibre-optic internet services:

- (i) Upgradation  of  BharatNet  network  earlier  implemented  in  linear  architecture  /  GPON technology to ring architecture / IP-MPLS technology.
- (ii) Setting up of Central Network Operating Centre (C-NOC).
- (iii) Setting up of Project Monitoring Unit.
- (iv) Videography/ photography of trenching, fibre laying, splicing etc.
- (v) GIS mapping of network.
- (vi) Quality testing of material being deployed.
- (vii) Appointment of independent engineers for inspection, validation, bill processing, etc.

Further,  TRAI  monitors  the  performance  of  service  providers  against  the  benchmark  of various Quality of Service parameters. As per performance submitted by service providers, all the service providers are meeting benchmark of all networks related QoS parameters of access service (wireless) in all service areas in the month of January 2026.

Under the PM-WANI framework, the Government's role is limited  to  policy enablement. Service provision under PM-WANI is entirely market-driven and Public Wi-Fi hotspots are deployed by entities based solely on techno-commercial viability in specific areas.

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