Amended BharatNet Program in Telangana Gets ₹3,189 Crore Support to Cover 12,769 Gram Panchayats

Key facts

• Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN) under the Department of Telecommunications signed an Agreement on 06 November 2026 at Sanchar Bhawan, New Delhi with the Government of Telangana, Telangana Rural Internet Infrastructure Corporation Limited (TRIICL), Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Telangana Fiber Grid Corporation Limited (T-Fiber) for implementation of the Amended BharatNet Program (ABP) in Telangana under the State-led model.
• The Union Cabinet had approved the Amended BharatNet Program on 4 August 2023 to upgrade, consolidate and expand the existing BharatNet network for robust broadband connectivity to all Gram Panchayats and villages on demand basis.
• The Program in Telangana will be implemented through TRIICL with a total scope of 12,769 Gram Panchayats, comprising upgradation of 1,946 Phase I Gram Panchayats from linear to ring topology, coverage of 10,787 Phase II Gram Panchayats and inclusion of 36 newly created Gram Panchayats.
• The Government of India has approved financial support of ₹3,189 crore for the Program in Telangana, which is expected to facilitate around three lakh rural home fibre connections with subsidy support.
• Digital Bharat Nidhi, the erstwhile Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF), was established under the Indian Telegraph (Amendment) Act, 2003 with effect from 01.04.2002, was renamed DBN under The Telecommunications Act, 2023, and is an attached office of the Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications.