Lok Sabha Question No. 5965 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-30
Subject: Providing High Speed Internet Connectivity in Government Schools in Rural Areas
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION AND LITERACY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5965

ANSWERED ON 30/03/2026

## Providing High Speed Internet Connectivity in Government Schools in Rural Areas

5965. Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Government  has  taken  steps  to  ensure  adequate  access  to  high-speed  internet connectivity in Government schools located in rural and remote areas across the States;
- (b) if so, the details of such initiatives undertaken by the Central Government to provide high speed internet connectivity in rural areas;
- (c) whether the Government has formulated any guidelines or set standards for the establishment of smart  classrooms,  digital  boards  and  ICT-enabled  learning  infrastructure  in  rural  Government schools;
- (d) if so, the details of the number of schools where such smart infrastructure has been implemented as on date along with the funds allocated and utilized under these programmes during the last three years, State/UT-wise; and
- (e)  the  details  of  the  computer-to-students  ratio  in  Government  schools  in  the  country,  State/UTwise, particularly in Saran district of Bihar?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)

(a) to (e): Education is part of the Concurrent List of the Constitution and most of the Government schools are under the administration of the State Government and its bodies.

The Government of India, in the Budget 2025, has announced provision of broadband connectivity to  all  Government  Secondary  schools  in  rural  areas,  under  the  'BharatNet'  project  to  enhance digital  infrastructure  in  remote  areas.  To  provide  FTTH  internet  connections  to  Government schools having computing devices, DoSEL has advised all States/UTs including rural areas to enter into MoUs/Agreements with BSNL.

The  Ministry  of  Education  implements  ICT  and  Digital  initiatives  under  Samagra  Shiksha  to enhance digital learning in Government schools across the country, including rural areas of Bihar. The initiatives aim to enhance the quality of education by integrating technology into teaching and learning  processes.  Under  the  initiatives,  funds  are  provided  for  setting  up  ICT  Labs  and  Smart Classrooms  according  to  the  requirements  of  the  State  submitted  in  the  Annual  Work  Plan  & Budget  (AWP&B).  The  non-  recurring/recurring  grant  under  'ICT  and  Digital  Initiatives'  is available to the States and UTs for following two options:

- Option I: Under this option schools which have not availed the ICT facility earlier can either opt for ICT or smart classrooms as per their requirement and need. In case of more than 700 enrolments, an additional ICT lab can also be considered.
- Option II: Under this option, schools which have already availed the ICT facility earlier can avail smart classrooms/tablets as per the norms of the scheme.

ICT Lab: A non-recurring grant of up to Rs. 6.40 lakh per school and recurring grant of upto Rs. 2.40 lakh per school per annum for a period of 5 years. From 2023-24, the scheme also offers stepwise funding based on school enrolment. (Strength <100: Rs. 2.5 Lakhs, Strength between 100 250: Rs. 4.5 Lakhs, Strength between 250 - 700: Rs.6.4 Lakhs) Smart Classrooms: The non-recurring grant for Smart Classrooms (2 smart classrooms per school) is  of  Rs.  2.40  lakh  and  the  recurring  grant  is  Rs.  38,000/-  per  school  per  annum  (including  E Content and Digital Resources, Charges for Electricity). The State/UT wise details of ICT Labs and Smart Classrooms approved and functional in the last three years (i.e. from 2022-23 to 2024-25) are at Annexure-I. The State/UT wise details of funds allocated and utilised in the last three years (i.e. from 2022-23 to 2024-25) for ICT Labs and Smart Classrooms are at Annexure-II. As per UDISE + 2024-25 Report, 64.7% schools have computer facilities and 63.5% schools have access  to  internet.  The  computer-to-student  ratio  in  Government  schools  varies  across  districts depending on infrastructure availability.

.

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ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  OF  PARTS  (A)  TO  (E)  OF  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  5965  RAISED  BY  SHRI  RAJIV  PRATAP  RUDY,  HON'BLE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT ANSWERED ON 30.03.2026 REGARDING 'PROVIDING HIGH SPEED INTERNET CONNECTIVITY IN GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS IN RURAL AREAS'.

The State/UT wise details of ICT Labs and Smart Classrooms approved and functional in the last three years (i.e. from 2022-23 to 2024-25)

|                | ICT Labs/ Smart Classrooms   | ICT Labs/ Smart Classrooms   | ICT Labs/ Smart Classrooms   | ICT Labs/ Smart Classrooms   | ICT Labs/ Smart Classrooms   | ICT Labs/ Smart Classrooms   |
|----------------|------------------------------|------------------------------|------------------------------|------------------------------|------------------------------|------------------------------|
| State/UT       | 2024-25                      | 2024-25                      | 2023-24                      | 2023-24                      | 2022-23                      | 2022-23                      |
|                | Approval                     | Functional                   | Approval                     | Functional                   | Approval                     | Functional                   |
| A&N Islands    | 3                            | 3                            | 6                            | 6                            | 8                            | 8                            |
| Andhra Pradesh |                              |                              |                              |                              |                              |                              |
|                | 1221                         | 14                           | 3552                         | 3552                         | 1145                         | 1144                         |
| Arunachal      |                              |                              |                              |                              |                              |                              |
| Pradesh        | 126                          | 100                          | 216                          | 0                            | 146                          | 134                          |
| Assam          | 980                          | 152                          | 1701                         | 1                            | 885                          | 885                          |
| Bihar          | 1254                         | 0                            | 1981                         | 0                            | 126                          | 126                          |
| Chandigarh     | 33                           | 1                            | 2                            | 2                            | 95                           | 95                           |
| Chhattisgarh   | 6018                         | 0                            | 871                          | 871                          | 0                            | 0                            |
| DND -DNH       | 49                           | 0                            | 42                           | 24                           | 78                           | 77                           |
| Delhi          | 249                          | 0                            | 90                           | 0                            | 52                           | 52                           |
| Goa            | 0                            | 0                            | 3                            | 0                            | 0                            | 0                            |
| Gujarat        | 556                          | 693                          | 926                          | 448                          | 0                            | 0                            |
| Haryana        | 283                          | 20                           | 679                          | 310                          | 455                          | 342                          |
| Himachal       |                              |                              |                              |                              |                              |                              |
| Pradesh        | 17                           | 17                           | 12                           | 0                            | 898                          | 616                          |
| J&K            | 2301                         | 0                            | 544                          | 0                            | 1037                         | 1036                         |
| Jharkhand      | 623                          | 8                            | 1789                         | 1516                         | 625                          | 606                          |
| Karnataka      | 549                          | 0                            | 100                          | 0                            | 1768                         | 437                          |
| Kerala         | 24                           | 0                            | 115                          | 1                            | 257                          | 257                          |
| Ladakh         | 83                           | 58                           | 66                           | 66                           | 24                           | 23                           |
| Lakshadweep    | 0                            | 0                            | 0                            | 0                            | 0                            | 0                            |
| Madhya         |                              |                              |                              |                              |                              |                              |
| Pradesh        | 4605                         | 228                          | 4336                         | 3350                         | 658                          | 658                          |
| Maharashtra    | 373                          | 0                            | 518                          | 309                          | 2405                         | 2233                         |
| Manipur        | 78                           | 0                            | 109                          | 109                          | 174                          | 173                          |
| Meghalaya      | 58                           | 46                           | 29                           | 29                           | 42                           | 42                           |
| Mizoram        | 322                          | 0                            | 217                          | 217                          | 90                           | 90                           |
| Nagaland       | 85                           | 0                            | 13                           | 13                           | 47                           | 47                           |
| Odisha         | 776                          | 0                            | 0                            | 0                            | 2119                         | 2119                         |
| Puducherry     | 0                            | 0                            | 0                            | 0                            | 45                           | 45                           |
| Punjab         | 143                          | 0                            | 1019                         | 0                            | 1223                         | 664                          |
| Rajasthan      | 1428                         | 0                            | 4357                         | 5                            | 820                          | 811                          |
| Sikkim         | 37                           | 27                           | 3                            | 0                            | 32                           | 32                           |
| Tamil Nadu     | 7362                         | 0                            | 3536                         | 3536                         | 2211                         | 2211                         |
| Telangana      | 1067                         | 607                          | 1337                         | 697                          | 94                           | 93                           |
| Tripura        | 138                          | 108                          | 147                          | 147                          | 857                          | 857                          |
| Uttar Pradesh  | 6943                         | 12                           | 7898                         | 22                           | 18733                        | 18444                        |
| Uttarakhand    | 39                           | 0                            | 78                           | 0                            | 195                          | 102                          |
| West Bengal    | 662                          | 0                            | 63                           | 0                            | 0                            | 0                            |
| Total          | 38485                        | 2094                         | 36355                        | 15231                        | 37344                        | 34459                        |

Source: PRABANDH

ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  OF  PARTS  (A)  TO  (E)  OF  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  5965  RAISED  BY  SHRI  RAJIV  PRATAP  RUDY,  HON'BLE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT ANSWERED ON 30.03.2026 REGARDING 'PROVIDING HIGH SPEED INTERNET CONNECTIVITY IN GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS IN RURAL AREAS'.

The State/UT-wise details of funds allocated and utilized for ICT Labs and Smart Classrooms from 2022-23 to 2024-25** (Rs. in Lakh)

| States/UTs        | 2022-23        | 2022-23        | 2023-24        | 2023-24        | 2024-25        | 2024-25        |
|-------------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
| States/UTs        | Fund Allocated | Fund Utilized* | Fund Allocated | Fund Utilized* | Fund Allocated | Fund Utilized* |
| A&N Islands       | 51.2           | 21.3           | 17             | 488.3          | 7.5            | 6.6            |
| Andhra Pradesh    | 5588           | 5250.2         | 9744.8         | 30030.3        | 4633.4         | 33.6           |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 378            | 608            | 595.9          | 0.0            | 317.7          | 242.7          |
| Assam             | 4704           | 12648.5        | 4082.4         | 12193.5        | 2344.3         | 441.6          |
| Bihar             | 302.4          | 10533.1        | 4754.4         | 25404.7        | 3364.3         | 0.0            |
| Chandigarh        | 134.4          | 98.9           | 6.9            | 103.6          | 207.2          | 2.3            |
| Chhattisgarh      | 0              | 4062.7         | 2125.6         | 1161.1         | 17408.9        | 0.0            |
| DND -DNH          | 310.4          | 262.4          | 109.1          | 390.9          | 168.8          | 0.0            |
| Delhi             | 152.8          | 448            | 1350           | 0.0            | 0.0            | 0.0            |
| Goa               | 0.0            | 0.0            | 13.4           | 6.6            | 0.0            | 0.0            |
| Gujarat           | 0.0            | 3535.2         | 2646.4         | 7955.1         | 2754.8         | 2512.9         |
| Haryana           | 1544           | 2086           | 1815.6         | 4951.9         | 704.4          | 104.8          |
| Himachal Pradesh  | 3283.2         | 3753           | 28.8           | 3753           | 24.3           | 24.3           |
| J&K               | 3300.8         | 0.0            | 1330.7         | 0.0            | 5573.9         | 0.0            |
| Jharkhand         | 3516           | 2451.1         | 7623           | 4992.7         | 2143.3         | 399.6          |
| Karnataka         | 4243.2         | 6878           | 735            | 0.0            | 2291           | 14.6           |
| Kerala            | 616.8          | 336            | 276            | 0.0            | 58.5           | 0              |
| Ladakh            | 112            | 89.2           | 163            | 0.0            | 190.1          | 139.4          |
| Lakshadweep       | 0.0            | 0.0            | 0.0            | 0.0            | 0.0            | 0.0            |
| Madhya Pradesh    | 1579.2         | 412.8          | 12697.5        | 2385.9         | 13073.8        | 1027.9         |
| Maharashtra       | 5772           | 1097.7         | 2632.8         | 9061.4         | 1603.3         | 0.0            |
| Manipur           | 553.6          | 213.6          | 266.8          | 1252.7         | 199.4          | 0.0            |
| Meghalaya         | 212.8          | 0.0            | 102.4          | 535.3          | 166.7          | 86.4           |
| Mizoram           | 464            | 0.0            | 566.5          | 588            | 803.5          | 796.1          |
| Nagaland          | 112.8          | 461.3          | 31.2           | 860.3          | 179.8          | 0.0            |
| Odisha            | 5085.6         | 4068.5         | 0.0            | 0.0            | 1489.2         | 595.2          |
| Puducherry        | 108            | 292.8          | 0.0            | 0.0            | 0.0            | 0.0            |
| Punjab            | 5261.2         | 0.0            | 3367.7         | 5444.3         | 766.2          | 0.0            |
| Rajasthan         | 3616           | 3693.8         | 12228.8        | 319.4          | 4931.1         | 0.0            |
| Sikkim            | 76.8           | 57.6           | 7.5            | 223.7          | 151.6          | 64.8           |
| Tamil Nadu        | 14150.4        | 24223.2        | 10114.6        | 0.0            | 21701.1        | 0.0            |
| Telangana         | 601.6          | 12815.7        | 3944.2         | 0.0            | 3640.6         | 2588.6         |
| Tripura           | 3232.8         | 1752.2         | 440.5          | 3517           | 404.7          | 319.6          |
| Uttar Pradesh     | 46115.2        | 35335.5        | 24826.4        | 0.0            | 20827          | 13974.5        |
| Uttarakhand       | 468            | 0.0            | 234            | 0.0            | 127.2          | 0.0            |
| West Bengal       | 0.0            | 0.0            | 755.2          | 0.0            | 1632.8         | 0.0            |
| Total             | 115647.2       | 137486.34      | 109634.1       | 115619.74      | 113890.4       | 23375.5        |

Source: PRABANDH

* It includes State share and the unspent balance of previous years