Bhubaneswar: Union Minister of Railways, Communications and Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday said around 4,000 mobile towers will be installed in Odisha.
Speaking to media persons at BJP office, here, Vaishnaw said as many as 6,000 villages in the state remain out of mobile network due to lack of mobile towers. In order to spread telecom and internet network to all the villages in the state, his ministry has identified around 3,933 sites where mobile towers will be installed, he added.
On revival of BSNAL/MTNL, he said the public sector telecom companies had come to near bankrupt condition during the UPA rule. Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved a total package of Rs 90,000 crore in 2019 for revival of the BSNL.
Due to the package, the BSNL regained financial stability and registered operating profit for the first time last year. As a further step for the telecom major, the Central government has made a budgetary allocation of Rs 45,000 crore this year, said the minister.
Besides, he said the prime minster has set a target for the ministry to develop 4G and 5G technology indigenously. Already the development of 4G technology has been completed and its testing is going on.
Similarly, designing of the 5G technology has progressed satisfactorily and will be introduced in the market for mobile phone and radio network very soon, he added.
On the allocation in the Union Budget 2022-23 for development of railways in Odisha, Vaishnaw said the state has been sanctioned more funds under BJP government at the Centre than the UPA rule.
Compared to around Rs 800 crore allocation for the Railways in UPA regime, the state was allocated Rs 4126 crore in 2014 after the BJP came to power. In this year’s Budget, Union Finance Minister Sitharaman has made a provision of Rs 9734 crore which is a historic step, he added.
He further said as per the Budget provisions, 12 railway stations in the state will be upgraded.
Earlier, the Union Minister paid floral tributes to legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar at the BJP headquarters in the city.
