Even as transforming India into a digitally-empowered society remains a top priority, over 6,000 villages in Odisha are yet to avail mobile and internet services.
Answering a query by Rairangpur MLA Naba Charan Majhi in the Assembly, Electronics & Information Technology Minister Tusharkanti Behera informed that a total of 6,799 villages have no telecom and internet services in the State.
“The State Government has allotted land for free to set up mobile towers for services to be provided by three major telecom operators under USOF (Universal Service Obligation Fund) of the Union Government in 3,673 uncovered areas in the State. The target has been set to provide mobile services in all villages of the State by the end of March 2024,” the Minister told the House.
The State Government has implemented Odisha Mobile Towers and Telegraph Line, OFC and related Telecom Infrastructure Policy, 2017, to establish and ensure telecommunication infrastructure/network in remote rural areas, he stated.
