Digital Bharat Nidhi Signs Pact With Chhattisgarh Government for Amended BharatNet Program

Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN), functioning under the Department of Telecommunications, has signed an agreement on 18th August, 2026, with the Chhattisgarh government to roll out the Amended BharatNet Program (ABP) in the state. The signing took place at Sanchar Bhawan, New Delhi, bringing together DBN, the Chhattisgarh government, Chhattisgarh State BharatNet Infrastructure Limited (CSBIL), BSNL, and Chhattisgarh Infotech Promotion Society (CHiPS), with senior officials from all sides present at the ceremony.

About the Amended BharatNet Program

1. Cleared by the Union Cabinet in August 2023, aimed at upgrading and expanding BharatNet so broadband reaches every Gram Panchayat and village on demand
2. In Chhattisgarh, the programme will be implemented through CSBIL
3. Covers a total of 11,682 Gram Panchayats across the state
4. 4,048 Phase I Gram Panchayats will shift from linear to ring topology for better network reliability
5. 5,964 Phase II Gram Panchayats will be covered under the program
6. 1,670 newly formed Gram Panchayats will also be included
7. 8,328 additional villages will get connectivity on a demand basis, strengthening last-mile access.

Amended BharatNet Program Budget and Facilities

1. Centre has sanctioned financial support of ₹3,942 crore for implementing the programme in Chhattisgarh
2. Expected to enable more than three lakh rural home fibre connections across the state
3. Aims to strengthen access to essential digital services, including e-governance, online education, telemedicine, and digital payments in rural and remote areas of Chhattisgarh

About Digital Bharat Nidhi

Digital Bharat Nidhi, earlier known as the Universal Service Obligation Fund, was set up under the Indian Telegraph (Amendment) Act, 2003. With the Telecommunications Act, 2023, it was renamed DBN and continues to function as an attached office under the Department of Telecommunications. Its core job is to push telecom access into underserved rural, remote, and even urban pockets of the country. Beyond BharatNet, DBN also backs several other connectivity efforts, including the 4G Saturation Project and mobile service expansion in Aspirational Districts, Left Wing Extremism-affected areas, border regions, islands, and the North East.