Bhubaneswar: In a major push to eliminate digital divides in the state’s remote pockets, the Government of Odisha is fast-tracking the installation of 4G mobile towers across 707 newly identified locations. Financed through the Digital Bharat Nidhi, this massive connectivity drive is being orchestrated in close coordination with the central government’s 4G Saturation Project, aiming to bring high-speed network access to underserved rural regions.
Driving the administrative execution of this project, Shri Vishal Kumar Dev, the Additional Chief Secretary, Energy, Electronics and Information Technology Department, has issued a direct directive to the District Collectors of the 25 concerned districts.
ACS Shri Dev has urged the district administrations to immediately clear hurdles by expediting land allocation and issuing mandatory No Objection Certificates to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, which is executing the ground-level infrastructure setup.
According to the official communication, each of the selected sites requires approximately 2,000 square feet of government land to house the new telecom infrastructure. Under Dev’s close monitoring, the state has already successfully issued NOCs for 294 locations, allowing physical construction to begin. District authorities have been instructed to clear the remaining locations without delay to keep the project on its strict timeline.
Electronics and IT Minister Dr. Mukesh Mahaling credited the collaborative efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Digital India Mission and Chief Minister Shri Mohan Charan Majhi for securing this expansive digital infrastructure package for Odisha. The rollout of these 4G towers is expected to transform rural governance, providing dependable access to online education, telemedicine, e-governance portals, and digital banking in areas that have historically lacked stable network coverage.
Alongside the mobile tower expansion, Department of E&IT is preparing for the massive rollout of the BharatNet Phase-3 project in the state. The central government has earmarked approximately 4,000 crore rupees for Odisha under this initiative, which will be executed over the next three years to deliver high-speed fiber-optic internet directly to rural households.
The strategy for BharatNet Phase-3 involves treating each block as an independent logistical unit. High-speed optical fiber networks will first connect the block headquarters, which will then serve as hubs to supply connectivity to individual Gram Panchayats. From the panchayat centers, the fiber lines will be extended to provide last-mile internet access straight to village homes, creating a comprehensive digital ecosystem across rural Odisha.