New Delhi, February 23: The revised BharatNet is a public-funded initiative worth $16.9 billion (approximately ₹1.39 lakh crore), aimed at providing optical fiber cables (OFC) and broadband access to every village in the country, including Andhra Pradesh. This was announced by Union Minister for Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia on Monday.
A memorandum of cooperation (MoC) has been signed between the Digital India Fund (DIF), the Department of Telecommunications, and the Andhra Pradesh government to expedite the implementation of the revised BharatNet program (ABP) in the state.
Scindia stated, “We are essentially democratizing technology for every citizen in the country. Our generation has empowered individual talent, ambition, and dreams to reach a global platform.”
Union Minister of State Dr. P. Chandrasekhar emphasized that this agreement provides a structured framework for rapid and sustainable implementation under a state-led model, ensuring accountability along with financial support.
He noted that this partnership will strengthen connectivity to the last mile, expand 4G services, and provide affordable and reliable digital services to rural citizens.
The agreement establishes a comprehensive cooperation framework for the swift expansion of the revised BharatNet program between the DIF and the state government.
The state government has assured full cooperation in terms of right of way (RoW), access to infrastructure, and necessary coordination for the prompt implementation of the program.
According to the ministry, most of the funding for the project will be provided by the DIF, while the state government will also contribute as per mutual agreement.
The network developed under this program will be utilized by the state government to maximize social and economic impact.
The central government has approved financial assistance of ₹2,432 crore for the implementation of this scheme in Andhra Pradesh.
This initiative is expected to provide fiber connections to over five lakh rural households, enhance digital governance, improve the delivery of citizen services, and promote online education, digital payments, e-governance, and telemedicine in rural and remote areas.
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