Bharat is logging in! 95% villages have internet connectivity, shows govt data

The March, 2024 data shows that India has 954.40 million internet subscribers. (Photo: Pixabay)

The Narendra Modi government released the key connectivity data under the ‘Digital India’ initiative on August 2. The official data shows that under this flagship programme, internet connectivity has gone up significantly.

Over 95 percent Indian villages have internet access, the government said on Friday. There is a special focus on remote areas apart from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. The March, 2024 data shows that India has 954.40 million internet subscribers.

Out of these, 398.35 million are subscribers from rural India. the government data states that out of the 6,44,131 registered villages across the country, 6,12,952 of them have either 3G or 4G internet connectivity.
At CAGR of 14.26 percent, the total internet users in India have gone up from 251.59 million in 2014 to 954.40 million in 2024.

The government says that the next phase of rural internet connectivity under the BharatNet project will target to bring all Gram Panchayats online. The groundwork of setting up the optical fibre cable networks is being carried out across the country. This will ensure broadband internet connectivity to the rural India.

Under the two phases of BharatNet, 2.13 lakh Gram Panchayats are now ready to be brought online. In addition to this, the amended BharatNet project will also focus on providing optical fibre connectivity to 42,000 uncovered Gram Panchayats and remaining 3.84 lakh villages.

Other measures undertaken under the Digital India programme include amending licensing conditions in 2022. This facilitated installation of mobile towers in border areas in the country.

The 2016 amendment of the Indian Telegraph Right of Way Rules has paved way for quicker rollout of telecom infrastructure. The launch of Gati Shakti Sanchar Portal has also helped in the setting up of telecom infra for better internet connectivity in the remote areas.