Lok Sabha Question No. 5359 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-25
Subject: Promotion of Digital Connectivity
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Shri Arun Kumar Sagar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF POSTS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5359 TO BE ANSWERED ON 25 TH  MARCH, 2026

## PROMOTION OF DIGITAL CONNECTIVITY

## †5359. SHRI ARUN KUMAR SAGAR:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) the role of the Ministry of Communications in Postal and Telecommunication services;
- (b) the manner in which the Government promotes digital connectivity through the BharatNet project;
- (c) the initiatives taken by the Government for the modernization of the Department of Posts;
- (d) the steps taken by the Government to support the rollout of 5G services; and
- (e) the manner in which the Government contributes in promoting Postal Banking services?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) The  Department  of  Posts  (DoP)  &  the  Department  of  Telecommunications  (DoT)  both function  under  the  aegis  of  Ministry  of  Communications.  The  roles  of  both  the  departments  are attached as Annexure-I .
- (b)     The BharatNet project, under Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN), is being implemented in a phased manner  to  provide  broadband  connectivity  to  all  the  Gram  Panchayats  (GPs)  and  villages  in  the country. As of Feb-2026; 2,17,805 GPs have been made service ready under BharatNet project in the country.  Further,  Amended  BharatNet  Program  (ABP),  approved  by  the  Government,  is  under implementation for up-gradation of existing network of BharatNet Phase-I and Phase-II, creation of network in balance GPs and connectivity to remaining non-GP villages on demand basis from their respective GPs.
- (c)     The Department of Posts' IT Modernization Project 2.0 has been approved by the Government with an outlay of Rs. 5785 Cr for a period of eight years from 2022-2023. Under the said Project, the Department has launched a new Advanced Postal Technology (APT) platform which is an indigenous, Cloud-based  digital  platform  developed  in-house  by  Centre  for  Excellence  in  Postal  Technology (CEPT) and hosted on MeghRaj 2.0 Cloud. APT is agile and scalable to meet the growing customer expectations and has been rolled out nationwide on 4th August 2025, integrating approximately 1.70 lakh  offices  across  23  Postal  Circles.  Branch  Post  Offices  have  been  equipped  with  Android smartphones running in-house DREAM (Digital Rural Enterprise Application for Mobile) App to further strengthen service delivery, better connectivity and user experience in rural areas providing QR Code based payment system.

(d) 5G networks have been rolled out in all States/ UTs across the country and presently 5G services are available in 99.9% of districts in the country. As on 28 th  February 2026, 5.23 lakh 5G Base  Transceiver  Stations  (BTSs)  have  been  installed  in  the  country.   Starting  from  TRAI recommendations and up to frequency allocation, everything was done in record time of 128 days. Thereafter within a span of 50 days, the services were successfully launched by the Hon'ble PM on 1 st  October 2022. Advantages of 5G services include higher peak data rates, lower latency and higher spectrum  efficiency  over  the  previous  4G  Mobile  Technology.  Government  has  taken  several initiatives for proliferation of 5G services, which, inter alia, include the following:

- i. Auction of spectrum for 5G mobile services in 2022.
- ii. Financial  reforms  to  rationalize  Adjusted  Gross  Revenue  (AGR),  Bank  Guarantees (BGs) and interest rates.
- iii. Removal of Spectrum Usage Charges for spectrum  acquired  in  auction  of  2022  and thereafter.
- iv. Simplification  of  procedure  for  Standing  Advisory  Committee  on  Radio  Frequency Allocations (SACFA) clearance.
- v. Launch of GatiShakti Sanchar portal and Right of Way (RoW) Rules to streamline RoW permissions and clearance of installation of telecom infrastructure.
- vi. Time-bound permission  for  use  of  street  furniture  for  installation  of  small  cells  and telecommunication line.

(e) The Department of Posts, through a network of over 1.64 lakh post offices, serves more than 47  crore  Post  Office  Savings  Bank  (POSB)  account  holders.  POSB  plays  an  important  role  in financial inclusion through its Savings Schemes such as Post-Office Savings Account (POSA), Time Deposit Account (TD), Recurring Deposit Account (RD), Monthly Income Account (MIS), Senior Citizens Savings Scheme (SCSS), Public Provident Fund (PPF), Sukanya Samriddhi Account (SSA), National Savings Certificate (NSC), Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP), and the PM CARES for Children Scheme.  The  Post  Office  Savings  Bank  (POSB)  operates  on  a  Core  Banking  Solution  (CBS) platform. It provides modern digital services, including ATM access, Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) payment, internet banking, mobile banking, NEFT/RTGS, e-Passbook, and UPI through IPPB-POSA linkage. These services are also fully available through rural Post Offices.

## Annexure-I referred to in answer to Part (a) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 5359 to be answered on 25.03.2026.

## (i) The role of Department of Posts is as under :

- (a) The  Department  of  Posts  (DoP)  is,  inter-alia,  responsible  for  Postal  Policy;  execution  of works,  including  purchase  of  land  debitable  to  the  Capital  Budget  pertaining  to  the Department of Posts.
- (b) Posts,  including  Post  Office  Savings  Banks  (Administration),  Post  Office  Certificate (Administration),  Post  Office  Life  Insurance  Fund  (Administration),  printing  of  public postage stamps/commemorative stamps including postal stationery, premium postal products and any agency function.
- (c) International  cooperation  in  matters  connected  with  postal  communications,  including matters  relating  to  all  international  bodies  dealing  with  postal  communications  such  as Universal Postal Union, Asia Pacific Postal Union, Commonwealth Postal Union.
- (d) Matters relating to introduction, development and maintenance of all services by the Post Office.
- (e) Promotion of feasibility survey, research and development in the field of activities allotted to the Department.
- (f) Matters  relating  to  administration  of  the  Indian  Post  Office  Act,  2023  and  rules  made thereunder as  well  as  other  laws  or enactments  having  a  bearing  on  postal  activities,  not specifically allotted to any other Department.
- (g) ln  addition  to  above,  in  respect  of  international  mail,  the  Department  of  Posts,  is  also responsible for facilitating exchange of international mail with foreign postal administrations under  Universal  Postal  Union  (UPU),  bilateral  and  multilateral  arrangements,  ensuring compliance  with  international  postal  regulations,  enabling  customs  clearance  processes, expanding cross-border e-commerce and promoting exports through initiatives such as Dak Ghar Niryat Kendras (DNKs). The Ministry also coordinates with international bodies and partner postal operators to improve efficiency, security and reliability in international mail operations.

## (ii) The role of Department of Telecommunications is as under:

- (a) The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is, inter-alia, responsible for Telecom Policy; Licensing and Coordination matters relating to telegraph, telephones, telecom wireless data; international  cooperation  in  matters  connected  with  telecommunications,  promotion  of standardization,  Research  &  Development  (R&D)  in  telecommunications;  creation  of telecom infrastructure/access in rural areas and promotion of private investment in the sector.
- (b) DoT is also responsible for frequency management in the field of radio communication in close coordination with the international bodies. DoT enforces wireless regulatory measures by monitoring wireless transmission of all users in the country.

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