Parliament Question: Limited Digital Infrastructure in Western Uttar Pradesh

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4212 TO BE ANSWERED ON: 18.03.2026 LIMITED DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE IN WESTERN UTTAR PRADESH 4212. SHRI ZIA UR REHMAN: Will the Minister of ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government is aware of limited digital infrastructure, cyber awareness and IT- based employment opportunities in Western Uttar Pradesh; (b) if so, the details of steps taken to promote digital inclusion and IT skill development in the region; (c) whether similar challenges exist across the country; and (d) if so, the details of national measures undertaken to strengthen digital governance and the IT ecosystem? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA) (a) to (d): In line with Hon’ble Prime Minister's vision to democratize technology and empower citizens, the Government of India launched the Digital India programme in July 2015. Through this programme, Government has bridged the digital divide using multi-pronged strategy: • Increasing access to internet, • Making internet affordable, • Providing digital public infrastructure • Enhancing the digital literacy These efforts have collectively enabled wider access to digital services and opportunities, thereby fostering inclusive and equitable digital growth across the country. It can be seen from the following statistics: # 2014-15 2024-25 Remarks Total broadband subscribers 25 Cr 103 Cr 400% increase in subscribers Total numbers of Mobile Base 7.9 Lakh 29.50 lakh an increase of about 273% Transceiver Stations (BTS) villages covered with mobile ~ 5.27 6.35 lakh an increase of about 20.5% connectivity (2G/3G/4G) lakh (near-universal coverage)Total optical fiber laid 358 kms 6,92,676 Kms OFC laid increased by about 1,935 times Average monthly data 61.66 ~ 25.25 GB Data consumption increased consumption per subscriber MB by ~ 419 times Cost of data per Gb Rs 269 ~ Rs 7.9 97% reduction in cost Digital India program has brought fundamental change in the people’s lives: • More than 143 Cr Aadhar numbers have been issued providing digital identity to Indian residents • Aadhar was critical in developing the unified payment interface system. India's UPI is now the world's largest digital payment system with more than 46 Cr users and 685 banks. UPI powers 81% of India’s digital payments and nearly 49% of global real-time digital payments • Using Jan Dhan, Aadhar and Mobile (JAM) Trinity, subsidies and benefits worth Rs. 49.82 lakh crore have been transferred directly to the citizens • DigiLocker has provided digital access to authentic digital documents from original issuer for the common citizen. Currently, 67 crore users are registered on the platform. More than 967 crore documents have been issued using DigiLocker • Common Services Centres – (CSCs) offer government and business services in digital mode thereby enhancing last-mile connectivity in rural areas through Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs). Over 800 services are being delivered through CSCs. As on 31 January 2026, a total of 1,24,394 Common Services Centre (CSCs) were functional st in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The details of CSCs functional in the State of Uttar Pradesh can be seen at Annexure-I. Promoting Digital Literacy: The Government has taken several initiatives to provide skilling/upskilling to youth. These initiatives aim to develop industry-ready manpower in emerging and advanced technology domains across the country. PMGDISHA: Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA) was launched in 2017 to ensure digital literacy. The scheme concluded on 31 March 2024. The scheme was one of st the world’s largest digital literacy initiatives. Against the target of training 6 Cr people, more than 6.39 Crore persons were trained nationwide. FutureSkills Prime: FutureSkills PRIME program is a collaborative initiative of MeitY and National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) aimed at making India a cutting-edge digital talent nation. Under the programme, so far, more than 27.53+ lakh candidates have registered on the portal, out of which there have been 17.24+ lakh candidates enrolled/trained in various courses. National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT): NIELIT provides digital literacy courses such as Awareness in Computer Concept (ACC), Course on Computer Concepts (CCC) etc. NIELIT has trained 43 lakh+ candidates under various courses, including digital literacy and cyber security awareness. Training is delivered through a wide network of 56 NIELIT Centres and 9000+ Accredited Training Partners/Facilitation Centres.Cyber awareness: The Government has institutionalised a nationwide integrated and coordinated system to strengthen cybersecurity and digital resilience in public infrastructure which, inter alia, includes: • National Cyber Security Coordinator (NCSC) under the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) to ensure coordination amongst different agencies. • The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) is designated as the national agency for responding to cyber security incidents under the provisions of section 70B of the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000. • National Cyber Coordination Centre (NCCC), implemented by CERT-In, examines the cyberspace to detect cyber security threats. It shares the information with concerned organizations, state governments and stakeholder agencies for taking action. • Cyber Swachhta Kendra (CSK) is the Botnet Cleaning and Malware Analysis Centre and helps to detect malicious programs and provides free tools to remove the same. It also provides cyber security tips and best practices for citizens and organisations. • Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has established Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) to deal with cybercrimes in a coordinated and effective manner. • The Government has established National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC) for protection of critical information infrastructure in the country under the provisions of section 70A of the IT Act, 2000. • CERT-In works with other agencies involved in ensuring cybersecurity including Telecom Security Operations Centre (TSOC), Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC), etc. • Computer Security Incident Response Team in Finance sector (CSIRT-Fin) under CERT-In is operational since May 2020 to coordinate cyber incident response in the banking and financial sector. • ‘Information Security Education and Awareness (ISEA)’ project is being implemented by MeitY for strengthening human resources in the area of Information Security and creating general awareness. Awareness material on various aspects of cyber hygiene & cyber security are disseminated through portals such as www.staysafeonline.in,www.infosecawareness.in and www.csk.gov.in. *******ANNEXURE-I DISTRICT WISE FUNCTIONAL CSCs IN UTTAR PRADESH District Name Total functional CSCs Agra 1,720 Aligarh 1,531 Ambedkar Nagar 1,391 Amethi 1,583 Amroha 1,633 Auraiya 1,163 Ayodhya 1,573 Azamgarh 2,491 Baghpat 778 Bahraich 2,094 Ballia 1,559 Balrampur 1,197 Banda 963 Barabanki 2,102 Bareilly 3,131 Basti 1,995 Bhadohi 952 Bijnor 2,601 Budaun 2,020 Bulandshahr 2,435 Chandauli 1,277 Chitrakoot 579 Deoria 2,241 Etah 1,303 Etawah 1,202 Farrukhabad 1,352 Fatehpur 1,309 Firozabad 1,846 Gautam Buddha Nagar 872 Ghaziabad 1,423 Ghazipur 1,699 Gonda 2,271 Gorakhpur 2,494 Hamirpur 764 Hapur 850 Hardoi 2,297 Hathras 1,131 Jalaun 1,103 Jaunpur 2,224Jhansi 967 Kannauj 888 Kanpur Dehat 1,351 Kanpur Nagar 1,683 Kasganj 1,105 Kaushambi 1,242 Kheri 2,060 Kushi Nagar 2,444 Lalitpur 830 Lucknow 2,753 Maharajganj 2,262 Mahoba 706 Mainpuri 1,438 Mathura 1,156 Mau 1,256 Meerut 1,764 Mirzapur 1,447 Moradabad 2,978 Muzaffarnagar 1,393 Pilibhit 2,037 Pratapgarh 2,424 Prayagraj 3,228 Rae Bareli 1,776 Rampur 2,121 Saharanpur 2,653 Sambhal 1,811 Sant Kabeer Nagar 1,223 Shahjahanpur 2,069 Shamli 886 Shravasti 695 Siddharth Nagar 2,023 Sitapur 2,028 Sonbhadra 1,317 Sultanpur 1,409 Unnao 1,919 Varanasi 1,903 Total 1,24,394 Source: CSC e-Governance Services India Limited ********