Parliament Question: Promotion of Digital Connectivity

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF POSTS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5359 TO BE ANSWERED ON 25TH MARCH, 2026 PROMOTION OF DIGITAL CONNECTIVITY †5359. SHRI ARUN KUMAR SAGAR: Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state: (a) the role of the Ministry of Communications in Postal and Telecommunication services; (b) the manner in which the Government promotes digital connectivity through the BharatNet project; (c) the initiatives taken by the Government for the modernization of the Department of Posts; (d) the steps taken by the Government to support the rollout of 5G services; and (e) the manner in which the Government contributes in promoting Postal Banking services? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT (DR. PEMMASANI CHANDRA SEKHAR) (a) The Department of Posts (DoP) & the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) both function under the aegis of Ministry of Communications. The roles of both the departments are attached as Annexure-I. (b) The BharatNet project, under Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN), is being implemented in a phased manner to provide broadband connectivity to all the Gram Panchayats (GPs) and villages in the country. As of Feb-2026; 2,17,805 GPs have been made service ready under BharatNet project in the country. Further, Amended BharatNet Program (ABP), approved by the Government, is under implementation for up-gradation of existing network of BharatNet Phase-I and Phase-II, creation of network in balance GPs and connectivity to remaining non-GP villages on demand basis from their respective GPs. (c) The Department of Posts’ IT Modernization Project 2.0 has been approved by the Government with an outlay of Rs. 5785 Cr for a period of eight years from 2022-2023. Under the said Project, the Department has launched a new Advanced Postal Technology (APT) platform which is an indigenous, Cloud-based digital platform developed in-house by Centre for Excellence in Postal Technology (CEPT) and hosted on MeghRaj 2.0 Cloud. APT is agile and scalable to meet the growing customer expectations and has been rolled out nationwide on 4th August 2025, integrating approximately 1.70 lakh offices across 23 Postal Circles. Branch Post Offices have been equipped with Android smartphones running in-house DREAM (Digital Rural Enterprise Application for Mobile) App to further strengthen service delivery, better connectivity and user experience in rural areas providing QR Code based payment system. 1(d) 5G networks have been rolled out in all States/ UTs across the country and presently 5G services are available in 99.9% of districts in the country. As on 28th February 2026, 5.23 lakh 5G Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs) have been installed in the country. Starting from TRAI recommendations and up to frequency allocation, everything was done in record time of 128 days. Thereafter within a span of 50 days, the services were successfully launched by the Hon’ble PM on 1st October 2022. Advantages of 5G services include higher peak data rates, lower latency and higher spectrum efficiency over the previous 4G Mobile Technology. Government has taken several initiatives for proliferation of 5G services, which, inter alia, include the following: i. Auction of spectrum for 5G mobile services in 2022. ii. Financial reforms to rationalize Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR), Bank Guarantees (BGs) and interest rates. iii. Removal of Spectrum Usage Charges for spectrum acquired in auction of 2022 and thereafter. iv. Simplification of procedure for Standing Advisory Committee on Radio Frequency Allocations (SACFA) clearance. v. Launch of GatiShakti Sanchar portal and Right of Way (RoW) Rules to streamline RoW permissions and clearance of installation of telecom infrastructure. vi. Time-bound permission for use of street furniture for installation of small cells and telecommunication line. (e) The Department of Posts, through a network of over 1.64 lakh post offices, serves more than 47 crore Post Office Savings Bank (POSB) account holders. POSB plays an important role in financial inclusion through its Savings Schemes such as Post-Office Savings Account (POSA), Time Deposit Account (TD), Recurring Deposit Account (RD), Monthly Income Account (MIS), Senior Citizens Savings Scheme (SCSS), Public Provident Fund (PPF), Sukanya Samriddhi Account (SSA), National Savings Certificate (NSC), Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP), and the PM CARES for Children Scheme. The Post Office Savings Bank (POSB) operates on a Core Banking Solution (CBS) platform. It provides modern digital services, including ATM access, Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) payment, internet banking, mobile banking, NEFT/RTGS, e-Passbook, and UPI through IPPB-POSA linkage. These services are also fully available through rural Post Offices. 2Annexure-I Annexure-I referred to in answer to Part (a) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 5359 to be answered on 25.03.2026. (i) The role of Department of Posts is as under: (a) The Department of Posts (DoP) is, inter-alia, responsible for Postal Policy; execution of works, including purchase of land debitable to the Capital Budget pertaining to the Department of Posts. (b) Posts, including Post Office Savings Banks (Administration), Post Office Certificate (Administration), Post Office Life Insurance Fund (Administration), printing of public postage stamps/commemorative stamps including postal stationery, premium postal products and any agency function. (c) International cooperation in matters connected with postal communications, including matters relating to all international bodies dealing with postal communications such as Universal Postal Union, Asia Pacific Postal Union, Commonwealth Postal Union. (d) Matters relating to introduction, development and maintenance of all services by the Post Office. (e) Promotion of feasibility survey, research and development in the field of activities allotted to the Department. (f) Matters relating to administration of the Indian Post Office Act, 2023 and rules made thereunder as well as other laws or enactments having a bearing on postal activities, not specifically allotted to any other Department. (g) ln addition to above, in respect of international mail, the Department of Posts, is also responsible for facilitating exchange of international mail with foreign postal administrations under Universal Postal Union (UPU), bilateral and multilateral arrangements, ensuring compliance with international postal regulations, enabling customs clearance processes, expanding cross-border e-commerce and promoting exports through initiatives such as Dak Ghar Niryat Kendras (DNKs). The Ministry also coordinates with international bodies and partner postal operators to improve efficiency, security and reliability in international mail operations. (ii) The role of Department of Telecommunications is as under: (a) The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is, inter-alia, responsible for Telecom Policy; Licensing and Coordination matters relating to telegraph, telephones, telecom wireless data; international cooperation in matters connected with telecommunications, promotion of standardization, Research & Development (R&D) in telecommunications; creation of telecom infrastructure/access in rural areas and promotion of private investment in the sector. (b) DoT is also responsible for frequency management in the field of radio communication in close coordination with the international bodies. DoT enforces wireless regulatory measures by monitoring wireless transmission of all users in the country. ***** 3