Koraput: As many as 238 villages in Koraput and Rayagada districts lack mobile connectivity, including functional 4G services.In a written response to an unstarred question of Koraput MP Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka, minister of state for communication Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar admitted in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday that as of Dec 31, 2025, 89 villages out of 2,047 in Koraput district and 149 villages out of 2,671 in Rayagada district are without mobile network coverage.
“The uncovered villages are largely concentrated in remote, hilly and forest fringe blocks such as Bandhugaon, Dasamantapur, Lamtaput, Narayanpatana, Pottangi and Nandapur in Koraput district, and Bissamcuttack, Kashipur, Kalyanasingpur, Muniguda, Gunupur and Rayagada blocks in Rayagada district. These regions already face structural disadvantages in access to education, healthcare, markets and government services,” it reads.The ministry acknowledged that though hundreds of mobile towers were planned under the Digital Bharat Nidhi schemes, many sites have faced repeated delays or discontinuation due to lack of road access, delays in land allotment, forest and wildlife clearances, and right-of-way permissions. It also stated that villages found to have partial connectivity during surveys were dropped from the scheme, instead of being upgraded for better coverage.Reacting to the reply, Ulaka said the response reveals a serious gap between official claims and ground reality. “This reply exposes how tribal and remote regions are being left behind in the name of Digital India. Mobile and internet connectivity today is not a luxury, it is a basic public service essential for students, patients, farmers, small businesses and effective governance,” Ulaka said.The Congress MP expressed concern that while the govt has spoken of penal action against implementing agencies for delays, no district-wise accountability, tower-wise status or time-bound completion roadmap has been shared.“More worrying is the admission that 5G services will be rolled out purely on techno-commercial considerations. This means tribal and backward regions may remain permanently excluded from next generation digital infrastructure,” he said.Ulaka added that tribal areas cannot be left to market logic alone. “If the government is serious about inclusive development, digital connectivity must be treated as a right and not as a residual benefit,” he said.
