Parliament Question: Mobile Network and Broadband Connectivity in Rural Areas of Bhagalpur

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5358 TO BE ANSWERED ON 25TH MARCH, 2026 MOBILE NETWORK AND BROADBAND CONNECTIVITY IN RURAL AREAS OF BHAGALPUR †5358. SHRI AJAY KUMAR MANDAL: Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state: (a) the current status of mobile network and broadband connectivity in the rural areas of Bhagalpur; (b) the number of Gram Panchayats connected under the BharatNet Project; (c) the initiatives taken for the modernization of Post Offices; and (d) whether there is any proposal for the expansion of 5G services? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT (DR. PEMMASANI CHANDRA SEKHAR) (a) As of January, 2026, all 1,520 villages (as per data of Registrar General of India) in Bhagalpur District of Bihar are covered with 4G mobile broadband connectivity. (b) BharatNet project is implemented in a phased manner to provide broadband connectivity to all Gram Panchayats (GPs) and villages beyond GPs on demand basis across the country including Bhagalpur District of Bihar. As of February, 2026, a total of 234 GPs has been made Service Ready in Bhagalpur District of Bihar under BharatNet project. (c) Department of Posts (DoP) has undertaken various initiatives for modernization of Post Offices in Bhagalpur District of Bihar. All Post Offices in the Region have been brought on Advanced Postal Technology (APT) platform, rolled out under Information Technology (IT) 2.0 Project, for end-to-end computerization and network connectivity. Core Banking Solution (CBS) has been implemented in all post offices to provide anywhere banking services to customers. Digital services such as Net Banking, Automated teller machine (ATM), India Post Payments Bank (IPPB), e-Money Orders, Track & Trace, mobile-based services, etc. have been introduced across all post offices. Mobile devices with Digital Rural Enterprise Application have been supplied to all Branch Post Offices in Bhagalpur District of Bihar for smooth functioning of postal services in rural areas. (d) Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) expand 5G services in rural areas, based on the techno- commercial viability. Government, through funding from Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN), is implementing various schemes for expansion of 4G mobile connectivity in the uncovered rural and remote villages of the country. ***** 1