Centre sanctions ₹2,432 crore for Amended BharatNet rollout in Andhra Pradesh

A Memorandum of Cooperation(MoC) for implementation of the Amended BharatNet Project in Andhra Pradesh was signed in Amaravati on Sunday in the presence of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union Minister of State for Communications Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar and State Minister for Infrastructure and Investments B. C. Janardhan Reddy.

The agreement was signed between Digital Bharat Nidhi Administrator Shyamal Misra and State Infrastructure and Investments Department Special Chief Secretary M. T. Krishna Babu. It seeks to strengthen digital infrastructure and provide broadband connectivity to 13,426 village panchayats across the State. The Centre has committed ₹2,432 crore for the project.

The State has set up a Special Purpose Vehicle, Andhra Pradesh BharatNet Infrastructure Limited, to implement the programme in coordination with Digital Bharat Nidhi. The project covers upgradation of networks in 1,692 Phase I panchayats, completion of connectivity in 11,254 Phase II villages and extension of services to 480 newly-formed gram panchayats. It will also focus on last mile connectivity in 3,942 villages.

Addressing the gathering, Mr. Naidu recalled that during his earlier tenure in the 1990s he had pressed for higher bandwidth from BSNL and advocated telecom reforms at the national- level. He said the State had previously provided nearly 9.78 lakh fibre connections by laying cables over electricity poles, though the numbers later declined. With renewed support from the Centre, the government aims to restore and expand connectivity to ensure high speed internet access to every household within 18 months. He said digital connectivity was critical for governance reforms, online education, telemedicine and AI driven services, in line with the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.

Mr. Scindia described BharatNet as a historic initiative to democratise technology and connect 140 crore Indians to the global digital ecosystem. He said India had completed one of the world’s fastest 5G rollouts in 22 months and now has 40 crore 5G users. With a national outlay of ₹1.59 lakh crore, BharatNet aims to provide reliable broadband services with 98% network uptime.

Mr. Chandra Sekhar said the Centre and the State would work in close coordination to ensure timely execution of the project and position Andhra Pradesh as a model for rural digital transformation.