The Government of India has intensified efforts to bridge the digital divide in rural and remote regions through multiple connectivity initiatives aimed at expanding broadband and mobile services to villages and islands across the country.
According to information provided in the Lok Sabha by Kamlesh Paswan, the Department of Telecommunications under the Ministry of Communications has launched several projects funded through the Digital Bharat Nidhi to extend high bandwidth internet connectivity and mobile services to areas that currently lack adequate coverage.
A key component of this effort is the BharatNet project, which is being implemented in phases to provide broadband connectivity to all Gram Panchayats in the country. As of February 2026, about 2,17,805 Gram Panchayats have been made service ready under the BharatNet programme, including 10,886 Gram Panchayats in Tamil Nadu.
To further strengthen the infrastructure, the government approved the Amended BharatNet Program on 4 August 2023. The programme focuses on upgrading networks created under BharatNet Phase I and Phase II, expanding connectivity to remaining Gram Panchayats and providing broadband access to non Gram Panchayat villages on a demand basis.
In parallel, mobile connectivity is being expanded under the 4G Saturation Project and other mobile infrastructure initiatives. As of February 2026, a total of 24,263 mobile towers have been commissioned in previously uncovered remote and rural areas across the country.
Connectivity in island regions has also been strengthened through major submarine optical fibre cable projects. A 2312 kilometre submarine cable between Chennai and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and another 1869 kilometre cable linking Kochi with Lakshadweep Islands have been commissioned. Additionally, a 225 kilometre optical fibre network has been created in Lakshadweep to support fibre to the home services and enable the rollout of high speed internet, mobile services including 4G and 5G, and other digital services.
The Department of Rural Development has also developed several digital governance platforms to improve delivery of public services in rural areas. These platforms have been designed with the support of the National Informatics Centre, the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing and the Digital India Corporation.
Officials said these digital solutions are built with features such as offline functionality, accessibility for persons with disabilities, multilingual interfaces and simplified user design to ensure services remain accessible even in remote or low connectivity regions.
The government stated that these initiatives are aimed at strengthening digital infrastructure at the grassroots level, ensuring that digital governance services reach every village while supporting inclusive development and improved access to information, connectivity and public services across rural India.
