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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS
DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 521
ANSWERED ON 22ND JULY, 2026
MOBILE CONNECTIVITY IN TRIBAL AREAS OF ODISHA
521. SHRI SAPTAGIRI SANKAR ULAKA:
Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:
(a) the number of villages in Koraput, Rayagada, Nabarangpur and Malkangiri districts that still
lack reliable 4G/5G mobile connectivity;
(b) the status of sanctioned telecom towers under the Digital Bharat Nidhi (formerly USOF);
(c) the reasons for delay in commissioning approved towers;
(d) whether the Government has identified uncovered Gram Panchayats in Scheduled Areas as
priority locations; and
(e) the timeline for achieving universal mobile broadband coverage in these districts?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT
(DR. PEMMASANI CHANDRA SEKHAR)
(a) to (e) Government, through Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN), has approved various mobile
connectivity projects to provide 4G mobile services in identified uncovered villages/locations,
including the villages of Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur and Rayagada districts of Odisha, which
are notified as Scheduled Areas under the Fifth Schedule to the Constitution.
The district-wise 4G coverage status of villages and towers commissioned are as under:
Total Villages as
Towers
per Registrar Villages
Towers Commissioned
District General of India lacking 4G
approved (as on
data (November Connectivity
30.06.2026)
2019)
Koraput 2,047 116 510 395
Malkangiri 1,036 116 334 225
Nabarangpur 880 11 64 46
Rayagada 2,671 156 793 591
Total 6,634 399 1,701 1,257
Some towers encountered delays due to factors such as non-availability of road access, delay
in land allotment, forest, wildlife and Right of Way (RoW) permissions.
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