Digital Bharat Nidhi Signs ₹3,942-Crore BharatNet Agreement with Chhattisgarh

20 August 2026National

Digital Bharat Nidhi, under the Department of Telecommunications, signed an agreement with Chhattisgarh on 18 August 2026 for the Amended BharatNet Programme under a State-led model, with the Centre approving ₹3,942 crore covering 11,682 Gram Panchayats — upgrading 4,048 Phase-I GPs to ring topology, 5,964 Phase-II GPs, and 1,670 new GPs, plus broadband for 8,328 villages. Partners include Chhattisgarh State BharatNet Infrastructure Ltd, BSNL and CHiPS. It lands the same week as DoT's 17 August circular enforcing a nine-SIM-per-person limit — together marking an active telecom-policy push on both connectivity and fraud control.

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Digital Bharat Nidhi (renamed from the Universal Service Obligation Fund) functions under the Department of Telecommunications | BharatNet aims to connect all Gram Panchayats with broadband | The Telecom Act, 2023 established the Digital Bharat Nidhi framework

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