The government of India has sanctioned a budget of Rs 22,000 crore under the Budget 2025-26 unveiled on 1st Feb 2025 for the Bharatnet project. This comes as the government expands the scope of work under Bharatnet to connect Government Secondary Schools and PHCs through High-speed internet. Bharatnet aims to enhance the connectivity of government institutions and the population in Tier-2 and Tier-III cities with high-speed broadband connectivity.  

The ₹22,000 crore outlay marks a 238% increase over the previous year. With this initiative, the government aims to deliver essential services like e-health, e-education, and e-governance to rural and remote communities through telecom operators. 

Bharatnet: Win-Win for All.  

This will ensure seamless connectivity for government institutions and professionals, bridging the digital divide in traditionally under-connected regions. This presents a win-win situation for the government as well as the public as it would make governance easier and the government more accessible to the people. 

Read the previous Budget report on Bharatnet at: Sitharam Announces Broadband Connectivity to Government Secondary Schools and PHCs in Bharatnet Under Budget 2025-26 

BharatNet: Progress So Far

With the completion of Phase I and Phase II of the BharatNet project, 214,283 Gram Panchayats (GPs) are now service-ready. According to data from the Ministry of Communication (MoC), Uttar Pradesh leads the country in BharatNet connectivity, with 46,729 out of 57,691 GPs linked to the network.