Telangana CM Pushes Centre for Accelerated BharatNet Rollout to Bridge Rural Connectivity Gap

Hyderabad — In a video conference with Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has pressed for an accelerated pace in rolling out the BharatNet programme across the state's rural areas.

During the discussion, the Chief Minister emphasized the importance of bolstering broadband infrastructure in villages through the amended version of the BharatNet initiative. He appealed to the Union Minister to expedite the completion of contractual procedures and disburse any outstanding allocations without further delay.

The meeting, which also included state Minister D. Sridhar Babu, centered on advancing the T-Fiber project as part of the revamped BharatNet framework. Revanth Reddy specifically requested that the Centre formulate a definitive approach for integrating mandal-to-gram panchayat network rings into the Digital Bharat Nidhi structure.

Union Minister Scindia responded encouragingly, pledging the Central government's full backing for the initiative. The dialogue also addressed Telangana's overarching objective of ensuring every village and household receives dependable, high-speed internet connectivity.

According to officials, Telangana intends to establish a Special Purpose Vehicle to facilitate agreements with the national government under the BharatNet scheme. This institutional arrangement is expected to facilitate the development of an extensive broadband network tailored to the distinctive needs of rural populations.

Ring Architecture to Ensure Service Continuity

The state government plans to augment the T-Fiber network through a comprehensive digital framework that would link every gram panchayat using ring-based infrastructure. This approach offers a built-in redundancy mechanism—if one connectivity pathway experiences disruption, alternate routes remain operational, guaranteeing uninterrupted service delivery.

In its initial stage, the programme will focus on restoring digital infrastructure in 3,089 villages across the former Nizamabad, Rangareddy, and Khammam districts, where existing networks have been damaged or compromised.

The amended BharatNet programme is positioned to create modern, scalable fibre infrastructure across rural Telangana, positioning the state for long-term digital advancement.

Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao, Chief Minister's Special Secretary B. Ajith Reddy, IT Department Joint Secretary D. Anudeep, and several other senior officials participated in the video conference.