Maharashtra signs ₹10,520 crore BharatNet agreement for rural broadband push
Digital Bharat Nidhi has signed an Amended BharatNet Program agreement with the Maharashtra government, BSNL and state agencies — ₹10,520 crore of central support to connect 28,237 Gram Panchayats and 15,799 villages, targeting more than nine lakh rural home fibre connections.
Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN), the arm of India’s Department of Telecommunications, has signed an agreement for the implementation of the Amended BharatNet Program in Maharashtra, unlocking ₹10,520 crore in central financial support for one of the country’s largest rural broadband buildouts.
The agreement was signed between DBN, the Department of Telecommunications, the government of Maharashtra, MahaNet Digital Infrastructure Limited (MDIL), Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and the Maharashtra Information Technology Corporation (MahaIT). The project will run under a state-led model and be implemented through MDIL.
In Maharashtra it will cover 28,237 Gram Panchayats — including upgrading 15,171 Phase I Gram Panchayats from linear to ring topology for network resilience, plus 12,740 Phase II Gram Panchayats and 326 newly created ones. A further 15,799 villages will receive connectivity on a demand basis to strengthen last-mile access.
The initiative is expected to facilitate over nine lakh rural home fibre connections, boosting e-Governance, online education, telemedicine and digital payments in rural and remote areas. The Union Cabinet approved the Amended BharatNet Program on August 4, 2023, with the objective of upgrading, consolidating and expanding the BharatNet network to all Gram Panchayats and villages on demand.
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