New Delhi/Bhubaneswar- In the national narrative of a high-speed digital era and the rollout of 5G, rural Odisha is still grappling with the most basic necessity of mobile connectivity. Official data presented in the Rajya Sabha revealed that 1,900 villages across the state remain completely out of network coverage. For the residents of these villages, the absence of a signal is not just an inconvenience but a daily struggle that cuts them off from essential government schemes, emergency services, and modern-day conveniences. Tasks like farmer registration, getting mandi tokens, applying for welfare schemes, accessing banking services, calling an ambulance, attending online classes, filing complaints, or completing legal and land-related work are either delayed or rendered impossible.
Union Minister of State for Telecommunications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani confirmed these figures in response to a question from BJD MP Manas Mangaraj. He also acknowledged the opposition’s concerns that lack of mobile connectivity is denying rural residents their rightful access to government benefits. Earlier, Odisha’s Minister Mukesh Mahaling had informed the state assembly that 2,603 villages had no mobile network at all, with several others having towers but no actual service. In many such places, people are forced to climb hills or travel to distant high grounds just to find a faint signal.
The problem is not confined to a few districts. In Bargarh and Jharsuguda, MP Pradeep Purohit recently met Union Minister for Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia to flag the poor telecom services in remote and interior pockets. He pointed out that BSNL facilities are virtually absent in large parts of these districts, and even where towers exist, they fail to provide adequate coverage. Purohit urged for immediate intervention to improve the network by upgrading BSNL infrastructure, suggesting that funds under the Digital India Nidhi scheme could be used for this purpose, as it is meant to strengthen telecom facilities in rural and underdeveloped regions.
He cited specific areas such as Padmapur, Paikmal, Jharbandh, and Ambabhona in Bargarh district, along with Lakhanpur block in Jharsuguda district, where BSNL coverage is non-existent. Even in locations with BSNL towers, the signal is weak and insufficient to meet community needs. Calling the matter urgent, Purohit appealed for swift action through the installation of new towers or the upgradation of existing ones, stressing that in today’s world, mobile connectivity is not just about making calls but is vital for communication, financial transactions, education, healthcare, and countless other aspects of daily life.
