Digital Bharat Nidhi Signs a Rs 1,684 Crore Amended BharatNet Agreement with Jharkhand

12 September 2026National

Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN), under the Department of Telecommunications, signed an agreement with the Government of Jharkhand to implement the Amended BharatNet Programme (ABP) under the state-led model, with Centre-approved support of Rs 1,684 crore. Signed at Sanchar Bhawan, New Delhi along with BSNL, Jharkhand Communication Network Limited and the newly created special purpose vehicle Jharkhand Digital Infrastructure Corporation Limited (JDICL), it covers 4,395 gram panchayats - upgrading 4,387 from linear to ring topology and adding 8 new ones - plus on-demand connectivity for about 26,777 villages. It follows the Rs 3,942 crore state-led BharatNet agreement DBN signed with Chhattisgarh in August 2026.

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BharatNet was launched as the National Optical Fibre Network in 2011 and renamed BharatNet in 2015, targeting about 2.5 lakh gram panchayats | Digital Bharat Nidhi replaced the Universal Service Obligation Fund under the Telecommunications Act, 2023 | Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar on 15 November 2000, with Ranchi as its capital

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