Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister of Electronics &IT, Communications and Law & Justice, said that Government of India has been taking measures on priority to provide connectivity in the far flung, difficult, border areas of strategic importance, so as to ensure better quality of life to the people as well as to those who are working in these areas.
Speaking to media today after the inauguration of a submarine Optical Fiber Cable of length of 2300 kms between Chennai and Andaman Nicobar at a cost of Rs.1,224 crores, by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.Elaborating the various projects being implemented by Department of Telecommunications Shri Prasad spoke about various projects being implemented by the Department of Telecommunications to provide connectivity in remote and difficult areas Shri Prasad informed that a tender for 354 uncovered villages in the strategic, remote and border areas of the country has been finalised and is under implementation in 144 villages of the the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh and remaining villages in the States of Bihar, Rajasthan, Uttrakhand, Himachal Pradesh and other priority areas of Gujarat . These villages have been strategically choosen to cover border area connectivity on mobile. After commissioning of these villages, there will be no uncovered villages in UTs of J&K, Ladakh for mobile connectivity. Satellite based DSPTs (Digital Satellite Phone Terminal) are also being provided at 1347 sites for Army, BRO, BSF, CRPF, ITBP, SSB etc. Out of which 183 sites are already commissioned and remaining are in process. The Union Minister further told that Department of Telecommunications is also working on providing mobile connectivity in villages of 24 Aspirationsal districts of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and remaining 44 Aspirational Districts for 7287 uncovered villages in Chhatisgarh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh will also be covered for which government approval is under submission.