The government has announced that it has taken several steps for enhancing digital outreach in India.
In a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha, Devusinh Chauhan, minister of state for communications, mentioned that internet subscribers in rural and urban areas of the country were 336.6 million and 497.69 million, respectively, as of September 2021.
According to the minister, mobile and broadband services are provided in a phased manner by the government and telecom services providers (TSPs) in the uncovered villages of the country. The government, with funding from Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF), has schemes to extend mobile connectivity through the setting up of towers in the uncovered villages of the country. He also listed other government initiatives to expand digital outreach including the BharatNet project, National Broadband Mission, and the Prime Minister Wireless Access Network Interface (PM-WANI) framework, among others.
