Lok Sabha Question No. 3890 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-08-12
Subject: Public Call Offices
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: ASHOK MAHADEORAO NETE

**GOVERNMENT OF INDIA**

**MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY**

**DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS**

**LOK SABHA**

**UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3890**

**TO BE ANSWERED ON 12** **th** **AUGUST, 2015**

**PUBLIC CALL OFFICES**

**†3890. SHRI ASHOK MAHADEORAO NETE:**

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

(a)	 the number of the Public Call Offices (PCOs) functioning in the country including in Maharashtra especially in the rural and backward tribal areas, State-wise;

(b) 	whether most of these PCOs remain dysfunctional; and

(c)	 if so, the reasons therefor and the steps taken by the Government in this regard?

ANSWER

**THE MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY**

**(SHRI RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD)**

(a) to (c)	   Circle-wise details segregated into urban and rural Public Call Offices (PCOs) of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) in the country as on 30.06.2015 including in Maharashtra are given in **Annexure.** Segregated data of PCOs functioning in backward tribal areas is not maintained.

BSNL and MTNL have reported that their PCOs are functioning satisfactorily though with the easy availability of mobile telephony, the demand for PCOs has been declining for some years.

**Contd….2/-**

|                                                                                               |                           |                           |                           |          | **Annexure**   |          |          |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------|---------------------------|---------------------------|----------|----------------|----------|----------|
| **Circle-wise details of Public Call Offices (PCOs) of BSNL) and MTNL**  **as on 30.06.2015** |                           |                           |                           |          |                |          |          |
| S.No.                                                                                         | Circle / District         | Circle / District         | Circle / District         | PCOs     | PCOs           | PCOs     | PCOs     |
| S.No.                                                                                         | Circle / District         | Circle / District         | Circle / District         | Urban    | Urban          | Rural    | Total    |
| **BSNL**                                                                                      |                           |                           |                           |          |                |          |          |
| 1                                                                                             | Andaman & Nicobar islands | Andaman & Nicobar islands | Andaman & Nicobar islands | 92       | 92             | 63       | 155      |
| 2                                                                                             | Andhra Pradesh.           | Andhra Pradesh.           | Andhra Pradesh.           | 21,180   | 21,180         | 22,166   | 43,346   |
| 3                                                                                             | Assam                     | Assam                     | Assam                     | 7,888    | 7,888          | 1,938    | 9,826    |
| 4                                                                                             | Bihar                     | Bihar                     | Bihar                     | 1,503    | 1,503          | 838      | 2,341    |
| 5                                                                                             | Chhattisgarh              | Chhattisgarh              | Chhattisgarh              | 1,443    | 1,443          | 1,082    | 2,525    |
| 6                                                                                             | Gujarat                   | Gujarat                   | Gujarat                   | 19,810   | 19,810         | 6,284    | 26,094   |
| 7                                                                                             | Haryana                   | Haryana                   | Haryana                   | 2,586    | 2,586          | 1,299    | 3,885    |
| 8                                                                                             | Himachal Pradesh          | Himachal Pradesh          | Himachal Pradesh          | 854      | 854            | 2,169    | 3,023    |
| 9                                                                                             | Jammu & Kashmir           | Jammu & Kashmir           | Jammu & Kashmir           | 2,807    | 2,807          | 1,370    | 4,177    |
| 10                                                                                            | Jharkhand                 | Jharkhand                 | Jharkhand                 | 1,942    | 1,942          | 3,028    | 4,970    |
| 11                                                                                            | Karnataka                 | Karnataka                 | Karnataka                 | 31,117   | 31,117         | 15,896   | 47,013   |
| 12                                                                                            | Kerala                    | Kerala                    | Kerala                    | 11,447   | 11,447         | 16,312   | 27,759   |
| 13                                                                                            | Madhya Pradesh            | Madhya Pradesh            | Madhya Pradesh            | 20,329   | 20,329         | 6,798    | 27,127   |
| 14                                                                                            | Maharashtra               | Maharashtra               | Maharashtra               | 47,828   | 47,828         | 26,614   | 74,442   |
| 15                                                                                            | North East-I              | North East-I              | North East-I              | 932      | 932            | 616      | 1,548    |
| 16                                                                                            | North-East-II             | North-East-II             | North-East-II             | 2,923    | 2,923          | 638      | 3,561    |
| 17                                                                                            | Odisha                    | Odisha                    | Odisha                    | 2,610    | 2,610          | 1,763    | 4,373    |
| 18                                                                                            | Punjab                    | Punjab                    | Punjab                    | 3,944    | 3,944          | 4,239    | 8,183    |
| 19                                                                                            | Rajasthan                 | Rajasthan                 | Rajasthan                 | 6,249    | 6,249          | 4,689    | 10,938   |
| 20                                                                                            | Tamil Nadu                | Tamil Nadu                | Tamil Nadu                | 48,926   | 48,926         | 22,861   | 71,787   |
| 21                                                                                            | Uttar Pradesh (East)      | Uttar Pradesh (East)      | Uttar Pradesh (East)      | 10,769   | 10,769         | 6,839    | 17,608   |
| 22                                                                                            | Uttar Pradesh (West)      | Uttar Pradesh (West)      | Uttar Pradesh (West)      | 5,384    | 5,384          | 605      | 5,989    |
| 23                                                                                            | Uttarakhand               | Uttarakhand               | Uttarakhand               | 1,706    | 1,706          | 802      | 2,508    |
| 24                                                                                            | West Bengal               | West Bengal               | West Bengal               | 9,191    | 9,191          | 6,597    | 15,788   |
| 25                                                                                            | Kolkata Telecom District  | Kolkata Telecom District  | Kolkata Telecom District  | 6,723    | 6,723          | 18       | 6,741    |
| 26                                                                                            | Chennai Telecom District  | Chennai Telecom District  | Chennai Telecom District  | 12,740   | 12,740         | 914      | 13,654   |
| TOTAL BSNL                                                                                    | TOTAL BSNL                | TOTAL BSNL                | TOTAL BSNL                | 2,82,923 | 2,82,923       | 1,56,438 | 4,39,361 |
| **MTNL**                                                                                      |                           |                           |                           |          |                |          |          |
| 1.                                                                                            | 1.                        | Delhi                     | Delhi                     | 56,418   | 56,418         | -        | 56,418   |
| 2.                                                                                            | 2.                        | Mumbai                    | Mumbai                    | 81,248   | 81,248         | -        | 81,248   |
| TOTAL MTNL                                                                                    | TOTAL MTNL                | TOTAL MTNL                | TOTAL MTNL                | 1,37,666 | 1,37,666       | -        | 1,37,666 |

-2-

Note:  North East-I includes Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram

North East II includes Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland

West Bengal includes Sikkim

Maharashtra includes Goa

Andhra Pradesh includes Telangana

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