India News | Over 2,600 Villages in Odisha Don't Have Mobile Network: Minister

Bhubaneswar, Mar 17 (PTI) A total of 2,603 villages in 167 blocks of Odisha do not have any mobile network, while 10 panchayats lack broadband connectivity, a state minister said on Monday.

He said in the assembly that 375 villages in Kandhamal district have no mobile network services, followed by Rayagada (274), Gajapati (241), Koraput (223), Malkangiri (216), Kalahandi (203) and Nayagarh (184).

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Electronics & Information Technology Minister Mukesh Mahaling was replying to a query by BJD MLA Arun Kumar Sahoo in the House.

In terms of mobile connectivity, the top three districts are Balasore (only one village without mobile network), Jagatsinghpur (two) and Puri (three).

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Mahaling said installation of new mobile towers is underway under the Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN) telecom project, which is likely to be completed by June.

The 10 panchayats that lack broadband connectivity are likely to get the services through satellite, he added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)