According to data presented in Parliament, 2.18 lakh gram panchayats – out of the 2.68 lakh in the nation have been prepared to offer high-speed internet services as part of the BharatNet initiative.

In a written response, SP Singh Baghel, Minister of State for Panchayati Raj, told the Rajya Sabha that the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is implementing the BharatNet project in phases to bring broadband services to every gram panchayat in the nation.

According to the resources at their disposal, the minister told the Upper House that every state is working to implement the e-Panchayat Mission Mode Project (MMP). However, the implementation process varies by state because Panchayats across the country have differing levels of readiness.

Additionally, the BharatNet project is expected to be finished by March 2027, according to DoT. According to the minister, broadband services like Fibre to the Home (FTTH) connections, leased lines, dark fiber, and backhaul to mobile towers can be provided using the infrastructure built under BharatNet.

In order to upgrade the current BharatNet Phase I and Phase II network and establish a network in approximately 42,000 gram panchayats that are not yet service-ready, he said the Union Cabinet approved the Amended BharatNet Program under the “design, built, operate and maintain” model. The network would be operational and maintained for ten years.

The goal set for Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is to connect 1.5 crore households to FTTH over the course of the next five years.

He also told the Upper House that the e-Panchayat MMP is being implemented in all of the nation’s states and Union Territories (UTs) by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj as part of the Digital India Programme. The goal of this project is to restructure Panchayat operations to become more open, responsible, and efficient.

In order to streamline Panchayat operations like budgeting, accounting, and planning, the Ministry has introduced eGramSwaraj, an online planning and accounting tool.

In order to enable Gram Panchayats to pay suppliers and service providers in real time, the Ministry has also integrated eGramSwaraj with the Public Financial Management System (PFMS). He noted that panchayats create and submit their Annual Panchayat Development Plans using the eGramSwaraj platform.