Guwahati: Among the 5,200 villages and habitations situated in the northeastern border regions, 4,696 now have access to mobile network, the Centre informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. This accounts for mobile connectivity achieved in over 90 per cent of the remote border villages and habitations of the northeast.Replying to a question by Lok Sabha MP Indra Hang Subba, Union minister of state for communications and rural development Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar told the House that all 1,237 border villages and habitations in Assam have achieved complete mobile connectivity. In Sikkim, too, all 68 border villages and habitations have come under mobile network. However, Arunachal Pradesh, characterised by its challenging topography, continues to face connectivity issues, with 337 out of 1,502 border villages and habitations still without mobile coverage.The govt allocated Rs 1,775.53 crore through various Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN) schemes between FY 2020-21 and FY 2024-25 to enhance mobile network infrastructure in the remote northeastern areas. The minister replied that mobile coverage for any uncovered inhabited villages is provided by the Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) based on techno-commercial viability.“The Centre, through funding from Digital Bharat Nidhi, is implementing various schemes for the expansion of telecom connectivity through the installation of mobile towers in the rural, remote, and border areas of the country,” Sekhar said.Regarding Sikkim particularly, he said as of June, 11 sites were commissioned in Sikkim under DBN-funded mobile schemes, providing mobile coverage to 13 villages, including border areas. Statistics revealed that Arunachal Pradesh has the highest number of border villages and habitations (1,502), of which 1,165 have got mobile coverage. Meghalaya has the second highest number of border villages and habitations (1,272), of which 1,238 have mobile coverage. While 365 of Mizoram’s 378 border villages and habitations got mobile coverage, the minister said, adding 194 of Manipur’s 263 border villages and habitations got mobile coverage so far. In Nagaland, 96 out of 135, in Sikkim, all 68, and in Tripura, 333 of the 345 border villages and habitations have mobile coverage.
