- Why in news
- On 12 February 2026, Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia told the Rajya Sabha that nearly 2.14 lakh gram panchayats are online under BharatNet. He also set out National Broadband Mission 2.0 targets for 2030 and urged states to adopt the Right of Way rules.
- What it is
- BharatNet is the Government of India's programme to connect gram panchayats with optical fibre cable and give rural areas broadband. Phases I and II linked most panchayats. The Amended BharatNet Programme now aims to cover the rest and extend service to villages and households.
- Technology
- Connectivity comes by laying Optical Fibre Cable up to gram panchayats.
- Amended programme
- The remaining panchayats and villages fall under the amended BharatNet programme, a $16.9 billion initiative.
- ROW disposal time
- Average ROW application disposal time fell from 455 days to 30.4 days.
Don’t confuse with BharatNet vs National Broadband Mission: BharatNet is the fibre rollout programme to panchayats. NBM is the wider mission with targets for broadband access, speed, and ROW reform.
Schemes: 52 Prelims questions since 2013, 10 in Prelims 2026 alone. They test features, the period and who funds it. In Mains, 33 news-triggered questions, mostly GS3.
Why it matters
- Broadband to panchayats narrows the rural-urban digital divide and supports e-governance, schools and health services.
- Faster ROW approvals lower the cost and time of laying fibre.
Problems
- Some states have not yet implemented the ROW Rules, and processing there is slower, for example Tamil Nadu at about 85 days.
- Last-mile service lags: connected panchayats do not always mean household connections, such as only 808 FTTH connections in Tamil Nadu.
Way forward
- Seek state cooperation on ROW rules and portals, as the Minister urged.
- Move from panchayat connectivity to household and institution connections, with reliable uptime.
Put in your answer
ROW reform result: Average ROW disposal time fell from 455 days to 30.4 days.
Anchor institutions: Broadband to schools, anganwadis and panchayat offices stands at 68.8 per cent against a 2030 target of 90 per cent.
- 2013Mains GS2 · Q14Comment on connectivity as the basis of PURA rural urban amenities.
- 2015Mains GS3 · Q4How Digital India helps farmers improve productivity and income, and government steps taken.
- 2019Mains GS2 · Q8Factors hindering ICT-based programmes' implementation, and measures for effective implementation.
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Rural broadband programme with 2.14 lakh gram panchayats connected and NBM 2.0 targets for 2030; a lasting scheme but a progress reply.
Worth revising until Prelims 2027: most news questions come within two years of the event.