Parliament Question: Digital Bharat Nidhi

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 679 ANSWERED ON 22ND JULY, 2026 DIGITAL BHARAT NIDHI 679. DR. MALLU RAVI: Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has reviewed the utilisation of the Digital Bharat Nidhi for supporting State-led broadband infrastructure projects to achieve universal digital connectivity and if so, the details thereof; (b) whether proposals have been received from State Governments seeking financial assistance from the Digital Bharat Nidhi and if so, the details thereof, State-wise; (c) whether the Government has received a proposal from the Government of Telangana for financial support to the T-Fiber project and if so, the details thereof; (d) whether the Government proposes to evolve a transparent framework for extending Digital Bharat Nidhi assistance to State broadband networks in order to accelerate rural connectivity and digital inclusion; and (e) if so, the details thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT (DR. PEMMASANI CHANDRA SEKHAR) (a) BharatNet project has been approved for provision of broadband connectivity in a phased manner to all Gram Panchayats (GPs) in the country. The Government has reviewed the BharatNet project and approved the Amended BharatNet Program (ABP) to upgrade and connect all the GPs across the country. (b) to (e) The Government of India has communicated in-principle approval to the Government of Telangana for implementation of ABP. The Government of Telangana has informed that a new special purpose vehicle (SPV), namely, Telangana Rural Internet Infrastructure Corporation Limited (TRIICL) has been formed for implementation of ABP. Under ABP, the Government of India has provisioned ₹3,189 crore to upgrade and connect 12,769 GPs in Telangana state. Further, a transparent framework has been provisioned through which the assets created under the BharatNet Project are available to the service providers on non-discriminatory basis to provide services such as Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH), leased lines, dark fiber etc. for accelerating rural connectivity and digital inclusion. ***** 1