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Digital Bharat Nidhi signed an agreement with the Government of Chhattisgarh on 18 August 2026 at Sanchar Bhawan, New Delhi, for the Amended BharatNet Programme under the State-led model.
The Centre approved financial support of Rs 3,942 crore for the rollout.
The project covers 11,682 Gram Panchayats - 4,048 Phase I panchayats to be upgraded from linear to ring topology, 5,964 Phase II panchayats and 1,670 newly created panchayats.
On-demand high-speed broadband is to be extended to 8,328 villages, supporting more than three lakh rural home fibre connections.
Digital Bharat Nidhi was created under the Telecommunications Act, 2023 in place of the Universal Service Obligation Fund.
In a linear topology the fibre runs as a single chain from node to node, so a cut anywhere along the line takes every node beyond that point off the network. A ring connects the nodes in a closed loop, giving traffic a second path around the other side of the ring if one span fails. The Amended BharatNet Programme therefore specifies ring topology for Gram Panchayat connectivity, and the Chhattisgarh agreement's first component is precisely the conversion of 4,048 Phase I panchayats from linear to ring.
Simple Analogy: A dead-end village road leaves you stranded if a tree falls across it; a ring road always offers a way round.
Fund for extending telecom services to underserved rural, remote and urban areas; created in place of the Universal Service Obligation Fund and funds the Amended BharatNet Programme
Central department for telecom policy, licensing and spectrum; administers Digital Bharat Nidhi
State-owned telecom operator and one of the implementing agencies for the Chhattisgarh rollout
GS Paper II > Government policies and interventions; GS Paper III > Infrastructure - communications and digital connectivity
General Awareness > Government schemes and current affairs
General Awareness > Government schemes and digital financial inclusion
General Awareness > Government schemes
Which one of the following links all the ATMs in India?
Answer: National Payments Corporation of India
The fund established under the Telecommunications Act, 2023 to support telecom access in underserved areas, replacing the Universal Service Obligation Fund.
A network design in which nodes are connected in a closed loop, so that a break in one span still leaves a path to every node from the other direction.
An implementation route under the Amended BharatNet Programme in which the State government and its designated agencies execute the network rollout instead of a central agency.