GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
Ministry of Communications and Information Technology
DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS
RAJYASABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1451
ANSWERED ON DECEMBER 5, 2014
QUESTION
Laying out of Cables for Digital India
1451. SHRI RAJEEV CHANDRASEKHAR:
Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGYbe pleased to state;
(a) whether Government is aware that Bharat Broadband Network Limited hasstated that the deadlines set by Government for laying out cables for the "Digital India"initiative could be unachievable;
(b) if so, the reaction of Government thereto;
(c) whether Government is aware that National Optic Fibre Network (NOFN) isrunning five years behind schedule, leaving large areas of the country to still remaindisconnected; and
(d) the budgetary allocations for optic fibre cable laying?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
(SHRI RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD)
(a): No, Sir.
(b): Not Applicable in view of (a) above.
(c): National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) project was approved by Government on25.10.2011.A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) viz. Bharat Broadband Nigam Limited(BBNL) was incorporated on 25.02.2012 for execution of the NOFN project. Thefollowing difficulties were encountered in project implementation:
The scheme to connect all the Gram Panchayats with respective blocks onOptical Fibre Cable (OFC) to facilitate broadband services is envisaged to be completedin a phased manner by December 2016.
(d): Against an indicative cost of about Rs. 20,100 Crore of NOFN project, Rs. 2,010Crore has been released by Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) to BBNL foroptic-fibre cable laying as on 31.10.2014.