(a) whether any mechanism is proposed to be set up in the Department of Telecommunications to review the progress in the telecommunication sector;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) the work carried out so far in this direction; and
(d) the outcome thereof?
THE MINISTER OF STATE (IC) OF THE MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS &
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
(SHRI MANOJ SINHA)
(a) to (d) The Department of Telecommunications collects telecom and internet subscription and penetration data from the TSPs on a regular basis for monitoring telecom/internet growth in India. The data is submitted to the Telecom Commission for perusal and review.
The government is also implementing key projects for boosting telecom infrastructure in India, especially in the remote and rural areas. The projects include (a) Flagship BharatNet project (b) Connectivity to uncovered villages of the North Eastern Region (NER) (c) Setting up of mobile towers in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected areas and (d) Submarine Optical Fiber Cable (OFC) connectivity between Chennai and Andaman & Nicobar Islands. These projects are regularly monitored and their progress reviewed at various levels.
No additional mechanism to review the telecom sector progress is proposed to be set up at this stage.