Lok Sabha Question No. 470 (STARRED), answered on 2026-03-25
Subject: Status of Wired Broadband and Mobile Internet Connectivity in Rural India
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Shri Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 470 TO BE ANSWERED ON 25 TH  MARCH, 2026

## STATUS OF WIRED BROADBAND AND MOBILE INTERNET CONNECTIVITY IN RURAL INDIA

## *470.   SHRI GURMEET SINGH MEET HAYER:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) the  total number of villages in the country and out of these, the number of villages connected with wired broadband connectivity, State/UT-wise;
- (b) the  number of villages connected with mobile internet along with technology-wise break-up of 3G, 4G and 5G connectivity, State/UT-wise;
- (c) the  number  of  villages  still  without  wired  broadband  and/or  mobile  internet  connectivity along with the reasons therefor, State/UT-wise; and
- (d) the  targets  and  timelines  fixed  for  achieving  universal  village  connectivity  under  the Government initiatives?

## MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH EASTERN

## ANSWER REGION (SHRI JYOTIRADITYA M. SCINDIA)

- (a) to (d) A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

## STATEMENT  IN  RESPECT  OF  PARTS  (a)  TO  (d)  OF  THE  LOK  SABHA  STARRED QUESTION  NO.  470  FOR  25 TH   MARCH,  2026  REGARDING  'STATUS  OF  WIRED BROADBAND AND MOBILE INTERNET CONNECTIVITY IN RURAL INDIA.'

(a) As per data maintained by the Registrar General of India, there are 6,44,131 villages in the country. Under the Government-funded BharatNet project, 2,17,805 Gram Panchayats (GPs) in the country have been made service-ready for broadband connectivity. Details for various States and Union Territories (UTs) are at Annex I .

(b) to (d) The number of villages connected with mobile internet, along with the breakup in terms of 3G, 4G and 5G technology, State/UT-wise, as on 28.2.2026, is at Annex II .  Details  of major Government-funded initiatives for  providing  high  bandwidth  capacity  internet/broadband connectivity and mobile  services to remote and rural villages in the country that currently lack coverage are as follows:

- (i) BharatNet programme has been approved for provision for broadband connectivity in a phased  manner  to  all  Gram  Panchayats  (GPs)  in  the  country.  As  of  February  2026, 2,17,805  GPs  have  been  made  service-ready  under  this  programme.  Further,  the Government has approved the Amended BharatNet Programme (ABP) under a design, built, operate and maintain model to upgrade the existing network created under Phases I and II of BharatNet and to create incremental network for connectivity to the remaining GPs,  and  to  the  remaining  non-GP  villages  on  an  on-demand  basis  with  minimum demand for five home fibre internet connections, operation and on maintenance for 10 years and provision of 1.5 crore home fibre internet connections.
- (ii) Under  the  Government-funded  4G  Saturation  Project  and  other  mobile  connectivity projects,  till  February  2026,  24,263  mobile  towers  have  been  commissioned  in  the country.

Annex referred to in  the  reply  to  part  (a)  of  Lok  Sabha  Starred  Question  No.  *470,  to  be answered on 25 th  March, 2026

State/UT-wise service-ready Gram Panchayats under BharatNet programme

| S. no.   | State                                    | Total    |
|----------|------------------------------------------|----------|
| 1        | Andaman and Nicobar Islands              | 72       |
| 2        | Andhra Pradesh                           | 12,955   |
| 3        | Arunachal Pradesh                        | 1,124    |
| 4        | Assam                                    | 1,507    |
| 5        | Bihar                                    | 8,340    |
| 6        | Chandigarh                               | 12       |
| 7        | Chhattisgarh                             | 9,695    |
| 8        | Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu | 38       |
| 9        | Goa                                      | 0        |
| 10       | Gujarat                                  | 14,320   |
| 11       | Haryana                                  | 6,082    |
| 12       | Himachal Pradesh                         | 790      |
| 13       | Jammu and Kashmir                        | 1,130    |
| 14       | Jharkhand                                | 4,390    |
| 15       | Karnataka                                | 6,084    |
| 16       | Kerala                                   | 978      |
| 17       | Ladakh                                   | 193      |
| 18       | Lakshadweep                              | 9        |
| 19       | Madhya Pradesh                           | 18,907   |
| 20       | Maharashtra                              | 24,575   |
| 21       | Manipur                                  | 1,475    |
| 22       | Meghalaya                                | 698      |
| 23       | Mizoram                                  | 540      |
| 24       | Nagaland                                 | 236      |
| 25       | Odisha                                   | 6,785    |
| 26       | Puducherry                               | 98       |
| 27       | Punjab                                   | 12,673   |
| 28       | Rajasthan                                | 8,776    |
| 29       | Sikkim                                   | 35       |
| 30       | Tamil Nadu                               | 10,886   |
| 31       | Telangana                                | 10,833   |
| 32       | Tripura                                  | 740      |
| 33       | Uttar Pradesh                            | 47,553   |
| 34       | Uttarakhand                              | 2,599    |
| 35       | West Bengal                              | 2,677    |
|          | Total                                    | 2,17,805 |

Annexure referred to in the reply to part (b) of Lok Sabha Starred Question No. *470, to be answered on 25 th  March 2026

State/UT-wise mobile coverage status, as on 28.2.2026

|   S. no . | State/UT                         | Total villages   | Mobile covered village s   | Mobile uncovere d villages   | Number of villages having 2G coverag e   | Number of villages having 3G coverag e   | Number of villages having 4G coverag e   | Numbe r of villages under 5G brought services   |
|-----------|----------------------------------|------------------|----------------------------|------------------------------|------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|
|         1 | Andaman and Nicobar Islands      | 559              | 432                        | 127                          | 359                                      | 85                                       | 335                                      | 35                                              |
|         2 | Andhra Pradesh                   | 17,328           | 16,946                     | 382                          | 14,722                                   | 215                                      | 16,708                                   | 8,530                                           |
|         3 | Arunachal Pradesh                | 5,993            | 4,817                      | 1,176                        | 4,523                                    | 571                                      | 4,367                                    | 600                                             |
|         4 | Assam                            | 26,429           | 26,266                     | 163                          | 25,152                                   | 6,699                                    | 26,182                                   | 3,718                                           |
|         5 | Bihar                            | 44,888           | 44,845                     | 43                           | 44,703                                   | 1,440                                    | 44,832                                   | 42,902                                          |
|         6 | Chandigarh                       | -                | -                          | -                            | -                                        | -                                        | -                                        | 0                                               |
|         7 | Chhattisgarh                     | 20,072           | 19,320                     | 752                          | 16,351                                   | 780                                      | 19,150                                   | 9,127                                           |
|         8 | Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman | 95               | 95                         | -                            | 95                                       | -                                        | 95                                       | 94                                              |
|         9 | Delhi                            | 55               | 55                         | -                            | 55                                       | 53                                       | 55                                       | 55                                              |
|        10 | Goa                              | 392              | 355                        | 37                           | 327                                      | 132                                      | 345                                      | 309                                             |
|        11 | Gujarat                          | 18,425           | 18,213                     | 212                          | 16,793                                   | 1,774                                    | 18,206                                   | 15,707                                          |
|        12 | Haryana                          | 6,640            | 6,639                      | 1                            | 6,632                                    | 912                                      | 6,638                                    | 6,426                                           |
|        13 | Himachal Pradesh                 | 20,852           | 20,348                     | 504                          | 19,649                                   | 3,103                                    | 20,139                                   | 11,261                                          |
|        14 | Jammu and Kashmir                | 6,474            | 6,226                      | 248                          | 6,030                                    | 530                                      | 6,208                                    | 3,704                                           |
|        15 | Jharkhand                        | 32,370           | 32,068                     | 302                          | 30,789                                   | 794                                      | 32,012                                   | 19,241                                          |
|        16 | Karnataka                        | 29,818           | 29,360                     | 458                          | 28,604                                   | 991                                      | 29,239                                   | 19,633                                          |
|        17 | Kerala                           | 1,438            | 1,438                      | -                            | 1,438                                    | 778                                      | 1,438                                    | 1,357                                           |
|        18 | Ladakh                           | 243              | 233                        | 10                           | 179                                      | 78                                       | 229                                      | 22                                              |
|        19 | Lakshadwee p                     | 27               | 27                         | -                            | 25                                       | 25                                       | 25                                       | 5                                               |
|        20 | Madhya Pradesh                   | 55,058           | 54,128                     | 930                          | 46,956                                   | 321                                      | 54,043                                   | 28,030                                          |
|        21 | Maharashtra                      | 43,931           | 43,063                     | 868                          | 38,828                                   | 10,300                                   | 42,785                                   | 30,662                                          |
|        22 | Manipur                          | 2,612            | 2,423                      | 189                          | 2,210                                    | 378                                      | 2,414                                    | 718                                             |
|        23 | Meghalaya                        | 7,100            | 6,959                      | 141                          | 5,808                                    | 254                                      | 6,954                                    | 341                                             |
|        24 | Mizoram                          | 867              | 815                        | 52                           | 674                                      | 48                                       | 813                                      | 74                                              |
|        25 | Nagaland                         | 1,535            | 1,428                      | 107                          | 1,088                                    | 122                                      | 1,411                                    | 280                                             |
|        26 | Odisha                           | 51,176           | 49,999                     | 1,177                        | 43,290                                   | 1,343                                    | 49,491                                   | 2,998                                           |
|        27 | Puducherry                       | 96               | 96                         | -                            | 96                                       | 85                                       | 96                                       | 96                                              |

| 28    | Punjab        | 12,534    | 12,532   | 2     | 12,529   | 3,787   | 12,494   | 11,666   |
|-------|---------------|-----------|----------|-------|----------|---------|----------|----------|
| 29    | Rajasthan     | 46,077    | 45,555   | 522   | 44,390   | 3,615   | 45,393   | 23,263   |
| 30    | Sikkim        | 461       | 455      | 6     | 443      | 16      | 443      | 349      |
| 31    | Tamil Nadu    | 16,488    | 16,485   | 3     | 16,176   | 3,954   | 16,452   | 9,377    |
| 32    | Telangana     | 10,203    | 9,976    | 227   | 9,790    | 1,899   | 9,864    | 1,945    |
| 33    | Tripura       | 937       | 930      | 7     | 870      | 97      | 929      | 353      |
| 34    | Uttar Pradesh | 1,05,53 1 | 1,05,495 | 36    | 105,364  | 19,341  | 105,343  | 78,542   |
| 35    | Uttarakhand   | 16,456    | 16,399   | 57    | 16,145   | 1,612   | 16,305   | 4,729    |
| 36    | West Bengal   | 40,971    | 40,962   | 9     | 40,798   | 2,505   | 40,959   | 31,007   |
| Total | Total         | 6,44,13 1 | 6,35,383 | 8,748 | 6,01,881 | 68,637  | 6,32,392 | 3,67,156 |

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