NT Reporter
Panaji
Despite the Centre’s push to expand rural digital connectivity under the BharatNet project, Goa has zero service-ready points at the gram panchayat level, according to data tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. As per the data, Goa is among the poorest performers nationally, even as several states have achieved full or excess coverage.
In a reply tabled by Union Minister of Panchayati Raj Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh in the Rajya Sabha, it was said that under the BharatNet programme, implemented by the Department of Telecommunications, optical fibre connectivity is being provided to all gram panchayats, including traditional local bodies (TLBs), across the country to enable high-speed broadband services, including fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) connections.
The reply said that Goa has a total of 191 gram panchayats but zero service-ready points, indicating that no village-level broadband services are currently active under the national flagship programme.
Across the country, 2.18 lakh service-ready points have been established against 2.69 lakh gram panchayats, with states such as Bihar, Karnataka and Odisha reporting more operational points than panchayats due to multiple connections.
Significantly, the reply said that even geographically challenging regions like Ladakh and Lakshadweep have recorded near-complete connectivity.
In terms of funding, Goa does not have a separate allocation and is grouped under Maharashtra, which received Rs 3,400.60 crore over the past five years.
