The government said on Tuesday that money worth Rs 26,000 crore had been allocated to build 25,000 telecom towers during the next 500 days.
State-owned business BSNL will install the towers, and the cost will be deducted from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF).
The financing was disclosed during the three-day state information technology ministers’ conference that took place in Delhi concurrent with the India Mobile Congress (IMC).
The monies, according to Union Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, will guarantee telecom connection throughout the nation.
Gati Shakti would synchronise 16 ministries, including those in charge of roads and railroads, in order to plan and carry out infrastructure projects in a coordinated manner.
After amending the Telegraph Act, the government established the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) in December 2003. Due to reduced revenue and a lack of commercial activity, there was no market mechanism to serve rural and inaccessible areas, so the goal was to supply telecom services there. The money would now be used to hasten the development of tower networks across the nation.
Alkesh Kumar Sharma, secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY), proposed that the States and UTs align their policies with those of the centre during the meeting that took place from October 1-3. He argued that states and UTs should take advantage of the center’s most recent initiatives to enhance services geared toward businesses and citizens.
State IT ministers talked about topics such as pornography, online gaming, and the effect of social media on institutions. Vaishnaw asked them to discuss with each other about these matters.