(a) the time by which all gram panchayats in Maharashtra will be connected under Bharat Net Project;
(b) whether the Government has achieved the target of providing broadband connectivity to two lakh fifty thousand gram panchayats under Bharat Net Project;
(c) if so, the details thereof; and
(d) if not, the reasons therefor?
MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS,
HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT AND
ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
(SHRI SANJAY DHOTRE)
(a)to (c) BharatNet project is being implemented in a phased manner to provide broadband connectivity to all the Gram Panchayats (approx. 2,50,000) in the country, including Maharashtra.
In Maharashtra, the Phase-I is being implemented through Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and as on 28.02.2020, by laying 33,828 km Optical Fibre Cable (OFC), a total of 15,282 Gram Panchayats (including BHQs) have been connected, out of which 15,219 GPs (including BHQs) have been made Service Ready. BharatNet Phase-II is being implemented through State Government in Maharashtra and as on 28.02.2020, by laying 23,932 km Optical Fibre Cable (OFC), a total of 4,324 GPs have been connected, out of which 451 Gram Panchayats (GPs) have been made Service Ready.
At pan-India level, as on 28.02.2020, by laying 4,24,299 km Optical Fibre Cable (OFC), a total of 1,50,029 GPs have been connected, out of which 1,34,906 Gram Panchayats (GPs) have been made Service Ready. In addition, 1787 GPs have been provided connectivity through satellite media. A total of 1,36,693 GPs have been made Service Ready.
The broadband connectivity to all the 2.5 lakh (approx.) GPs in the country, including Maharashtra, is targeted to be provided by August 2021.
(d) BharatNet is a project of mega nature and the GPs are widely dispersed across the country in rural and remote areas. All out efforts are being made to expeditiously implement the project. The delay in the implementation of the project is mainly on account of:
(i) Delay in the initial commencement of the project as the work on the project began in the second half of 2014 due to field survey of GPs and pilot testing of the technology model.
(ii) In Phase-I, only one media that is underground OFC to cover GPs, and Right of Way (RoW) issues.
(iii) Under Phase-II, about 65,000 GPs in 8 States are being implemented under State-led model, and delay in their implementation is also adversely affecting the completion of the Project.
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