Lok Sabha Question No. 1930 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-11
Subject: BharatNet in Tamil Nadu
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Shri Malaiyarasan D, Dr. M K Vishnu Prasad

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1930 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11 TH  FEBRUARY, 2026

## BHARATNET IN TAMIL NADU

## 1930.   SHRI MALAIYARASAN D: DR. M K VISHNU PRASAD:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

(a) the  current  status  of  the  BharatNet  project,  including  the  number  of  Gram  Panchayats connected across the country and State-wise including Tamil Nadu;

(b) the targets set for completion of Phase 2 of BharatNet and the timelines for full coverage of all Gram Panchayats;

(c) the challenges faced in the implementation of BharatNet in Tamil Nadu and steps taken to overcome them;

(d) the extent of utilization of BharatNet infrastructure by the  Government and private service providers in Tamil Nadu to provide broadband connectivity;

(e) the measures taken to ensure last-mile connectivity and affordable internet access in rural areas of Tamil Nadu under this scheme;

(f) the  challenges  faced  in  expanding  telecommunications  infrastructure  in  rural  and  remote areas particularly in Tamil Nadu; and

(g) the steps undertaken by the Government to improve the quality of internet services in rural regions and to bridge the urban-rural divide?

## ANSWER

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

(a) & (b) Total number of Gram Panchayats (GPs) made service-ready under BharatNet Project including Phase-I and Phase-II across the country till 31.12.2025 is 2,14,904, which includes 10,869 GPs  of  Tamil  Nadu.  BharatNet  Phase-II  in  Tamil  Nadu  is  being  implemented  by  the  state government. State/UT wise details of number of Gram Panchayats connected under the BharatNet project is attached as Annexure-I .

(c) to (g) Challenges like Right of way issues, involvement of multiple agencies, damage of Optical Fiber Cable (OFC) due to development works etc. have been faced in the implementation of BharatNet  across  country  including  Tamil  Nadu.  All  these  challenges  are  being  addressed  with planning and co-ordination with concerned agencies. The infrastructure created under BharatNet can be utilized to provide broadband services, such as Fibre to the Home (FTTH) connections, Wi-Fi Hotspots,  leased  lines,  dark  fibre,  backhaul  to  mobile  towers  etc.  in  rural  areas.  The  interested households  and  institutions  in  rural  areas  will  be  provided  FTTH  connection  on  demand  basis through  BharatNet  Udyami  (BNU)  model  under  ABP  with  funding  support  from  Digital  Bharat Nidhi.

## Annexure-I

State-wise details  of  number  of  Gram  Panchayats  connected  under  the  BharatNet  project  (as  on 31.12.2025)

| S. No.   | States/UTs          | No. of GPs made Service Ready   |
|----------|---------------------|---------------------------------|
| 1        | Andaman &Nicobar    | 72                              |
| 2        | Andhra Pradesh      | 12955                           |
| 3        | Arunachal Pradesh   | 1124                            |
| 4        | Assam               | 1507                            |
| 5        | Bihar               | 8340                            |
| 6        | Chandigarh          | 12                              |
| 7        | Chhattisgarh        | 9695                            |
| 8        | Dadra& Nagar Haveli | 20                              |
| 9        | Daman &Diu          | 18                              |
| 10       | Goa                 | 0                               |
| 11       | Gujarat             | 14320                           |
| 12       | Haryana             | 6082                            |
| 13       | Himachal Pradesh    | 410                             |
| 14       | Jammu& Kashmir      | 1101                            |
| 15       | Jharkhand           | 4390                            |
| 16       | Karnataka           | 6084                            |
| 17       | Kerala              | 978                             |
| 18       | Ladakh              | 193                             |
| 19       | Lakshadweep         | 9                               |
| 20       | Madhya Pradesh      | 17850                           |
| 21       | Maharashtra         | 24575                           |
| 22       | Manipur             | 1475                            |
| 23       | Meghalaya           | 698                             |
| 24       | Mizoram             | 540                             |
| 25       | Nagaland            | 236                             |
| 26       | Odisha              | 6785                            |
| 27       | Puducherry          | 98                              |
| 28       | Punjab              | 12668                           |
| 29       | Rajasthan           | 8776                            |
| 30       | Sikkim              | 35                              |
| 31       | Tamil Nadu          | 10869                           |
| 32       | Telangana           | 10833                           |
| 33       | Tripura             | 740                             |
| 34       | Uttar Pradesh       | 46746                           |
| 35       | Uttarakhand         | 1993                            |
| 36       | West Bengal         | 2677                            |
|          | Total               |                                 |
|          |                     | 214904                          |

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