6799 Odisha Villages Yet Have Mobile & Internet Connectivity

Bhubaneswar:  A total of 6799 villages in Odisha do not have mobile and internet connectivity.

This was stated by Odisha Electronics & Information Technology Minister Tusharkanti Behera while answering a question asked by Rairangpur MLA Naba Charan Majhi in the Assembly.

The minister stated that the state government has allotted land for free to set up mobile towers for services to be provided by three major telecom operators under USOF (Universal Service Obligation Fund) of the Union Government at 3673 uncovered areas in the state. Mobile connectivity will be provided to all villages of the state by the end of March 2024, said the Minister to the House.

The state government has implemented Odisha Mobile Towers and Telegraph Line, OFC and related Telecom Infrastructure Policy, 2017, to establish and ensure telecommunication infrastructure/network in remote rural areas, he added.