Parliamentary panel flags BharatNet rollout gaps

The India — Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, in its 32nd Report on India — Digital Bharat Nidhi, flagged gaps in the rollout of India — Bharat Broadband Network, India's flagship rural broadband programme. As of February 28, 2026, India — Bharat Broadband Network Points of Presence (PoPs) were operational at 78,899 Gram Panchayats out of around 2.64 lakh, below the envisaged universal coverage. The Committee called for a comprehensive state-wise and implementation model-wise performance audit, a revised time-bound roadmap, and greater focus on increasing Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) connections. The India — Department of Telecommunications reported 7.19 lakh kilometres of optical fibre cable laid and Rs 40,635 crore disbursed from India — Digital Bharat Nidhi for Phase-I and Phase-II. The Committee expressed concern over sub-optimal utilisation of the network infrastructure.