Mobile connectivity to 7,287 uncovered villages will be provided through the universal service obligation fund (USOF) across five states, a move which will cost Rs 6,466 crore.
The Union Cabinet gave its approval for the proposal on Wednesday, minister for information and broadcasting Anurag Thakur told media persons after the cabinet meeting.
He said that these uncovered villages fall under 44 aspirational districts across five states of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Odisha. These will get 4G-based mobile services.
The project would be funded by the USOF, and will be completed within 18 months of signing of the agreement, an official statement said.
The work related to provision of 4G mobile services in identified uncovered villages would be awarded through an open competitive bidding process as per extant USOF procedures.
The move would also enable establishment of enterprises and e-commerce facilities, provision of adequate support to educational institutes for knowledge sharing and availability of job opportunity, while fulfilling the vision of Digital India, official sources said.
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