Union Minister for Communications, Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, informed the Rajya Sabha on March 12, 2026, about the support for expanding mobile connectivity in rural and remote areas of Odisha. The Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN) is mandated to promote universal service in underserved areas. As of February 28, 2026, a total of 34,780 mobile towers under 12 DBN-funded projects are planned nationwide to connect 46,331 villages. For Odisha, 5,182 mobile towers are planned to cover 7,157 villages. Of these, 4,470 mobile towers are allocated for 13 districts in Odisha that fall under the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution.
Furthermore, as of February 28, 2026, ₹2,229.35 crore has been disbursed from the DBN to telecom operators for mobile services in rural and remote areas of Odisha, with ₹1,859.95 crore specifically for districts under the Fifth Schedule.
For further information, the Department of Telecom (DoT) can be followed on X (@DoT_India), Instagram (instagram.com/department_of_telecom), Facebook (facebook.com/DoTIndia), and YouTube (@departmentoftelecom).
Key Entities Referenced
Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN): A fund with the mandate to support universal service by promoting access and delivery of telecommunication service in underserved rural, remote and urban areas of the country.
Fifth Schedule to the Constitution: A constitutional provision that outlines special provisions for the administration of Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes, which is relevant for mobile tower deployment in Odisha.
Ministry of Communications: The government ministry responsible for telecommunications in India.
Odisha: The specific state in India where the telecom subsidies and mobile connectivity expansion are being focused.
Ministry of Communications
Union Minister Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia
Informs Rajya Sabha on Telecom Subsidies in
Odisha
₹2,229 Crore Disbursed to Strengthen Mobile Connectivity in
Odisha’s Rural Areas
Posted On: 12 MAR 2026 6:35PM by PIB Delhi
Union Minister for Communications and Development of North Eastern Region, Shri Jyotiraditya M.
Scindia, today informed the Rajya Sabha about the support provided to telecom operators in Odisha for
expanding mobile connectivity in rural and remote areas.
In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, the Union Minister stated that the Digital Bharat Nidhi
(DBN) has the mandate to support universal service by promoting access and delivery of
telecommunication service in underserved rural, remote and urban areas of the country.
As on February 28, 2026, a total of 34,780 mobile towers have been planned under 12 DBN-funded
mobile tower projects to provide connectivity to 46,331 villages in underserved rural and remote areas
nationwide. Out of these, 5,182 mobile towers have been planned for the State of Odisha to cover 7,157
villages.
The Union Minister further informed that the plan includes 4,470 mobile towers in 13 districts of Odisha
whose areas are notified under the Fifth Schedule to the Constitution.
He also stated that as on February 28, 2026, funds amounting to ₹2,229.35 crore have been disbursed
from the Digital Bharat Nidhi to telecom operators for providing mobile services in rural and remote areas
in Odisha. This includes ₹1,859.95 crore for the districts notified under the Fifth Schedule to the
Constitution.
(STARRED-RS-216-120326)
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