Land hurdles keep over 5.7K villages ‘unconnected’

BHUBANESWAR: Even as the Centre had set an ambitious target to cover all 5,770 uncovered villages with mobile and internet connectivity by the end of 2023, hundreds of villages still remain unconnected as telecom infrastructure is yet to be readied due to delay in land allotment.

Sources said only around 30 per cent of the uncovered villages, located mostly in Left-wing extremism (LWE)-affected and aspirational districts, have been provided with 4G internet connectivity.

The state government is yet to provide land in at least 450 villages of 15 districts.