(Press Trust of India via NewsEdge) More than 30,000 villages have been provided with village public telephones (VPTs) under the Rural Telephony component of the Bharat Nirman Program. These are part of the total 66,822 villages without telephone facilities.
An estimated sum of 451 crore ($98.5 million) is needed to provide subsidy support for these VPTs.
As against the target of providing VPTs in 66,822 unserved villages under the program, 30,251 villages have been provided VPTs as of Aug. 31. In the states of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat Assam, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Himachal Pradesh, more than 50% of the targeted villages have been provided with VPTs.
Under the program, 14,183 remotely located villages will be connected through digital satellite phone terminals (DSPTs). In states like Orissa and Jharkhand, 10% of uncovered villages will be provided with DSPTs.
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