New Delhi: As part of efforts to strengthen digital infrastructure in rural areas, 2,14,325 gram panchayats have been made service-ready under the BharatNet project, Parliament was informed on Tuesday.

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha, said that till this year June, 21,748 mobile towers had been commissioned across the country under various government-funded mobile projects.

He said the government is also implementing a project to provide 4G mobile coverage in all uncovered villages in remote and difficult regions, at a total cost of ₹26,316 crore.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has undertaken several initiatives to deliver high-bandwidth Internet and mobile services to remote villages and islands lacking connectivity. These include the commissioning of submarine optical fibre cable (OFC) links between Chennai and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (2,312 km), between Kochi and Lakshadweep (1,869 km), and the creation of a 225 km OFC network within Lakshadweep. These projects have enabled faster rollout of broadband, mobile services and other high-speed data facilities in the islands.

“The infrastructure created under the BharatNet project is a national asset, accessible on a non-discriminatory basis to service providers and the same can be utilised to provide broadband services such as fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) connections, leased lines, dark fibre and backhaul to mobile towers,” Chouhan said.

The minister added that targeted schemes have also been launched to expand connectivity in underserved regions. These include the Comprehensive Telecom Development Plan (CTDP) for the Northeast, CTDP for the islands, projects to provide mobile services in Left Wing Extremism-affected areas, in aspirational districts, in border villages, and other priority locations.

 

IANS inputs