Govt approves Rs 26,000 crore to install 25K mobile towers in 500 days

The government has approved Rs 26,000 crore for installation of 25,000 mobile towers in 500 days, an official statement said on Tuesday.

According to a telecom ministry spokesperson, financial support for the project will be provided by Universal Services Obligation Fund and it will be implemented by Bharat Broadband Network.

The project was announced by Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw at three-day long 'Digital India Conference of State IT Ministers' that concluded on October 3.

"In his concluding remarks, Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that connectivity is vital for Digital India and its reach to every corner of the country. He announced that Rs 26,000 crore has been approved to install 25,000 new towers in next 500 days," the statement said.

Minister of State (MoS) for Electronics and Information Technology and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajeev Chandrasekhar, MoS Communications Devusinh Chauhan and IT ministers from 12 states and UTs, namely Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Goa, Manipur, Uttarakhand, Telangana, Mizoram, Sikkim, and Puducherry participated in the conference.