Lok Sabha Question No. 3008 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-11
Subject: Digital India Programme in Tirunelveli
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Shri Robert Bruce C

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3008

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 11.03.2026

## DIGITAL INDIA PROGRAMME IN TIRUNELVELI

## 3008.  SHRI ROBERT BRUCE C:

Will the Minister of ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Government  has  implemented  the  BharatNet  project  in  Tirunelveli  district  to provide broadband connectivity to all Gram Panchayats and beyond on demand and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the status of the Digital India programme in Tirunelveli particularly in terms of e-governance services, digital literacy and citizen engagement;
- (c)  the  progress  of  the  Digital  Village  initiative  in  Tirunelveli,  focusing  on  the  availability  of services such as tele-medicine, tele-education, LED lighting, Wi-Fi hotspots and skill development at the Gram Panchayat level;
- (d)  the  challenges  faced  in  establishing  digital  infrastructure  in  hilly  and  remote  areas  of Tirunelveli and the steps being taken by the Government to address them; and
- (e) whether there are any plans to enhance digital connectivity and infrastructure in Tirunelveli to bridge the digital divide and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA)

(a) to (e): In line with Hon'ble Prime Minister's vision to democratise technology and empower citizens, the Government of India had launched the Digital India programme in July, 2015.

The overall goal is to ensure that digital technologies improve the life of every citizen, expand India's digital economy, and create investment and employment opportunities in India.

## BharatNet

It is implemented by Department of Telecommunications in a phased manner to provide broadband connectivity to all Gram Panchayats (GPs) and villages in the country, including those in Tamil Nadu.

The project aims to enable affordable and high-speed internet access in rural areas and facilitate delivery of digital services. So far, a total of 2,14,921 Gram Panchayats have been made serviceready under the BharatNet project in the country, including 113 GPs in Tirunelveli district.

Over the last decade, digital connectivity in Tamil Nadu has improved significantly. This has been possible because of expansion of telecom infrastructure, increasing mobile broadband penetration and  Government  initiatives  such  as  Digital  India,  BharatNet  and  Common  Service  Centres (CSCs).

The growth in internet subscribers, broadband connectivity and digital public infrastructure has enabled  wider  access  to  digital  services,  digital  payments  and  e-governance  across  the  State, including rural areas. Status of digital connectivity in Tamil Nadu is as follows:

|   S. No. | Indicator                                 | 2026 (Approx.)                                                                                                                                   |
|----------|-------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|        1 | Total Wireless (Mobile) Subscribers       | ~7.95 crore                                                                                                                                      |
|        2 | Internet Subscribers                      | ~6.20 crore                                                                                                                                      |
|        3 | Gram Panchayats connected under BharatNet | ~10,869+ service-ready GPs                                                                                                                       |
|        4 | Villages with Mobile Connectivity         | 16,485 villages                                                                                                                                  |
|        5 | Common Service Centres (CSCs)             | 19,641 CSCs are functional in Tamil Nadu (in rural and urban areas), out of which 13,001 CSCs are functional at the Gram Panchayat level (rural) |

Under  the  Digital  India  Programme,  the  Ministry  of  Electronics  and  Information  Technology (MeitY) has taken several initiatives to enable online delivery of citizen-centric services.

These include development and implementation of digital platforms, promotion of Aadhaar-based authentication for beneficiary identification, and expansion of service delivery through Common Service Centres (CSCs) to provide assisted access to citizens, particularly in rural and remote areas.

Digital India initiatives are accessible through mobile platforms, which has played a significant role in bridging the urban -rural divide. These initiatives enable citizens to access a wide range of government  services  such  as  digital  education,  digital  health,  digital  payments,  e-Courts  etc. anytime and from anywhere.

Further, various e-Governance services are being delivered through State Government portals and mobile applications.  The status of key initiatives in the areas of e-Governance services, digital literacy, and citizen engagement aimed at ensuring inclusive and equitable access to Government services while enhancing the efficiency and quality of service delivery, is as under:

- (i) Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance (UMANG), one mobile application for all government services, is operational and offers 2446+ services (Central: 872, State:1,574) for individuals.

422 services from the state of Tamil Nadu are onboarded on UMANG platform.

- (ii)  DigiLocker: DigiLocker has provided anytime access to authentic digital documents from original  issuer  for  the  common  citizen.  More  than 67.56+  crore users  are  registered  with DigiLocker to avail its services and more than 950+ crore documents issued from 2462 issuers onboarded on the platform.

More than 1.94 crore Aadhaar enabled registrations have taken place in the State of Tamil Nadu to avail DigiLocker services.

- (iii) Aadhaar: Aadhaar is the world's largest digital identity programme that provides biometric and demographic-based unique digital identity. 143.80+ crore Aadhaar IDs have been generated so far with 8.47 Crore Aadhaar IDs generated in the state of Tamil Nadu.

More than 200+ Public welfare and good governance initiatives in Tamil Nadu utilise Aadhaar authentication for beneficiary identification across sectors such  as healthcare, education, agriculture and banking.

- (iv) Common Services Centre: CSCs offer government and business services in digital mode thereby  enhancing  last-mile  connectivity  in  rural  areas  through  Village  Level  Entrepreneurs (VLEs). Over 800 services are being delivered through CSCs.

As on January, 2026, 5.54 lakh CSCs are functional across the country (in rural and urban areas), out of which 4.32 lakh CSCs are functional at the Gram Panchayat level (rural). A total number of 444 CSCs are functional in Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu. State/UT wise and district wise details of CSCs are available at https://csc.gov.in/ and list of services is available at https://csc.gov.in/.

- (v) MyGov: MyGov is a Government of India's Citizen Engagement Platform which collaborates with multiple Government bodies/ Ministries. It engages with people in policy formulation and seeks the opinion of people on issues/ topics of public interest and welfare.

Presently, over 6.11+ crore citizens are registered with MyGov, participating in various activities hosted on MyGov platform.

The MyGov State instance (https://tamilnadu.mygov.in/) has also been operationalized in Tamil Nadu to promote participatory governance at the State level, enabling citizens to actively engage with  the  Government  by  sharing  their  ideas,  suggestions,  and  feedback  directly  with  State government.

Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is promoting skilling/upskilling and capacity building through the following initiatives aimed at developing industry-ready manpower in emerging and advanced technology domains across the country including Tamil Nadu:

- (i) PMGDISHA: Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA) was launched in  2017  to  ensure  digital  literacy.  The  scheme  was  implemented  through  CSC  e-Governance services India limited and The scheme concluded on 31st March 2024.

The Scheme emerged as one of the world's largest digital literacy initiatives with over 6.39 Crore persons getting trained nationwide (against the target of 6 Crore).

14,07,880 individuals were trained in the state of Tamil Nadu, including 38,889 candidates from Tirunelveli district.

(ii) FutureSkills Prime: FutureSkills PRIME program is a collaborative initiative of MeitY and National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) aimed at making India a cutting-edge digital talent nation.

Skilling, reskilling, and upskilling course are provided in emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Big Data Analytics, IoTs, Cyber Security, Blockchain, AR/VR, etc.

Courses are developed in the consultation with industry to align with actual employment needs. The Portal can be accessed online at https://futureskillsprime.in/ to earn skill certificates in line with their aptitude and aspirations.

Under the programme, so far, more than 27.53+ lakh candidates have registered on the portal, out of which there have been 17.24+ lakh candidates enrolled/trained in various courses. This includes approximately 4 Lakh candidates from the state of Tamil Nadu.

## (iii) National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT):

NIELIT provides digital literacy courses such as Awareness in Computer Concept (ACC), Course on Computer Concepts (CCC) etc.

It  has  trained  43  lakh+  candidates  under  various  courses,  including  digital  literacy  and  cyber security awareness. Training is delivered through a wide network of 56 NIELIT Centres and 9000+ Accredited Training Partners/Facilitation Centres.

NIELIT is providing digital skilling to the youth of Tamil Nadu through its own Centre located in Chennai. It has more than 45 Facilitation Centres for providing training on Digital Literacy courses in the state, out of which 01 Facilitation Centres is located in Tirunelveli.

More than 1400 candidates have been trained in various digital skilling courses in the current financial year under NIELIT Chennai

## Digital Village Pilot Project

This project was launched to provide education, health, skill development, solar street lighting, financial  inclusion,  and  digital  government-to-citizen  and  business-to-citizen  services  in  700 villages  (one  from  each  district  across  States  and  Union  Territories).  The  project  successfully concluded on 31 st March, 2024.

In  the  state  of  Tamil  Nadu,  32  villages  were  covered  under  this  scheme  including  Tirunelveli district.

The services provided under the said project are as follows:

- Education Services: Courses provided under this project- Basic Computer Course (BCC),
- Course  on  Computer  Concept  (CCC),  Tally-  Kaushal  Praman  Patra,  Basic  Course  in Information Technology (BCIT).
- Additional Education: Competitive exam training, fundamental of CAD (Computer Aided Design)
- Health Services: Tele-health and Tele-Veterinary consultation
- Financial inclusion awareness programme
- Solar street lights
- Skill  development  in  Automotive  technician,  Handset  repair,  Field  technician -Home appliance, and Electrical technician

## Digital Connectivity and infrastructure:

Digital India, through initiatives such as BharatNet, has enabled rapid expansion of high-speed internet  connectivity  across  the  country  including  rural  and  remote  areas.  This  has  led  to  a significant increase in internet penetration across the country.

Further,  Amended  BharatNet  Program  (ABP)  has  also  been  approved  by  the  Government  on 04.08.2023 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.

*****