Parliament Question: Optical Fibre Laid in Gram Panchayats in Rajasthan

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4169 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18TH MARCH, 2026 OPTICAL FIBRE LAID IN GRAM PANCHAYATS IN RAJASTHAN †4169. SHRI BRIJENDRA SINGH OLA: Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state: (a) whether any difference is observed in the BharatNet data between the optical fibre laid (in kilometres) and the number of Gram Panchayats where internet services have been made operational; (b) if so, the number of Gram Panchayats in Rajasthan where optical fibre has been laid but internet services have not yet been activated; (c) whether district-level data indicate delays in service activation in Jhunjhunu district; and (d) whether any provision has been made in the Union Budget for last-mile connectivity and operational support in such cases and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT (DR. PEMMASANI CHANDRA SEKHAR) (a) to (c) BharatNet project is being implemented in a phased manner to provide broadband connectivity to all Gram Panchayats (GPs). Under BharatNet phase I & II, 7,19,241 Kms of Optical Fiber Cable (OFC) has been laid and 2,14,921 GPs have been made Service Ready all across the country. In Rajasthan, 8,746 GPs including 301 GPs of Jhunjhunu District have been made Service Ready under BharatNet by laying of 30,662 Kms OFC and 57,570 Fiber To The Home (FTTH) connections have been provided. (d) Under Amended BharatNet Program, subsidy has been provisioned for providing 1.5 crore home fiber connections through BharatNet by Government for affordable home fiber connections to rural customers. ***** 1