Miscellaneous Schemes under Ministry of Communications
National Broadband Mission (NBM)
The National Broadband Mission (NBM) is a flagship initiative of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) aimed at providing universal, fast, reliable, and affordable broadband connectivity across India.
NBM is aligned with the National Digital Communications Policy (NDCP), 2018 and the Digital India Programme. Launched in 2019, the Mission has been strengthened and re-envisioned as NBM 2.0 to address rising data demand and enable future-ready technologies such as 5G and 6G.
- Vision: “Broadband for All” enabling inclusive socio-economic development, digital governance, and a resilient digital economy.
Objectives of the National Broadband Mission (NBM)
- Universal broadband access: To extend broadband connectivity to all villages and habitations, ensuring nationwide coverage.
- High-speed, affordable, and quality internet: To provide reliable, high-speed broadband services at affordable costs with improved Quality of Service (QoS).
- Strengthening digital backbone: To expand and densify the optical fibre network and improve last-mile connectivity, especially in rural and remote areas.
- Support for advanced networks: To enable 4G and 5G deployment and create a future-ready network infrastructure for emerging technologies.
- Bridging the digital divide: To reduce rural-urban and regional disparities in digital access and opportunities.
Key Components / Pillars of the National Broadband Mission (NBM)
- Optical Fibre Expansion: The mission focuses on the expansion of Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) networks to strengthen India’s national broadband backbone.
- It provides backbone support for rural connectivity through BharatNet and promotes the deployment of Fibre-to-Tower (FTTT) and Fibre-to-Home (FTTH) infrastructure.
- Broadband for All: NBM aims to expand both fixed and mobile broadband services across the country.
- It prioritises connectivity to Gram Panchayats, villages, and households, along with the rollout of public Wi-Fi hotspots, particularly in rural and semi-urban areas.
- Fibre Densification and Infrastructure Sharing: NBM seeks to increase fibre density to meet rapidly rising data demand.
- It promotes infrastructure sharing among telecom operators and the use of existing assets such as railways, power transmission lines, and highways to reduce deployment costs.
- Tower Fibreisation: NBM emphasises connecting mobile towers with optical fibre instead of microwave links.
- This is essential for supporting high-capacity 4G networks and low-latency 5G services, ensuring better speed and reliability.
- Right of Way (RoW) Reforms: The mission introduces simplified, uniform, and time-bound Right of Way rules across States and Union Territories. It promotes digital single-window clearances to accelerate network deployment and lower infrastructure costs.
- Note: Right of Way (RoW) refers to the legal permission required to lay telecom infrastructure (such as optical fibre cables, mobile towers, and ducts) on public or private land. Simplified and time-bound RoW rules help speed up network deployment, reduce costs, and improve broadband connectivity.
- Technology-Neutral and Inclusive Approach: NBM adopts a technology-neutral approach, using optical fibre, fixed wireless access, and satellite broadband.
- Special focus is given to remote, hilly, island, border, and LWE-affected regions to ensure inclusive connectivity.
- Public-Private Partnership (PPP): The mission encourages private sector investment and public-private partnerships, including neutral-host models. It promotes common ducts and shared infrastructure to avoid duplication and improve efficiency.
National Broadband Mission 2.0
NBM 2.0 shifts focus from mere coverage to meaningful connectivity.
Key aims and targets of NBM 2.0 to be achieved by 2030 are:
- Village Connectivity: Connect 2.70 lakh villages with Optical Fibre Cable (OFC).
- Institutional Connectivity: Provide broadband to 90% of anchor institutions (i.e., schools, public health centres, anganwadis, and panchayats).
- Speed and Quality: Achieve a national average fixed broadband speed of 100 Mbps.
- Rural Penetration: Increase rural broadband penetration to 60% (from ~45%).
- Sustainability: Ensure 30% of mobile towers run on renewable energy.
- Ease of Doing Business: Streamline and digitise RoW approvals to reduce processing time and accelerate infrastructure rollout.
The National Broadband Mission (NBM) is a flagship initiative of the Department of Telecommunications
(DoT) aimed at providing universal, fast, reliable, and affordable broadband connectivity
across India.
Tarang Sanchar Portal
This is an information portal linked to mobile towers and their compliance with radiation norms.
- Provides data on Mobile Towers and Electro-Magnetic Frequency (EMF) Emission compliance.
- Citizens can access this information by paying a small fee.
- The purpose is to dispel fears about radiation from towers by providing transparent, scientific data.
Sanchar Saathi Portal
This is about ensuring safe and secure communication, a major part of Digital India.
- Key Purpose: To help people block, track, and verify the genuineness of mobile devices.
- Implemented by: Department of Telecom.
Main Modules
- CEIR (Centralized Equipment Identity Register)
- Allows blocking or tracking of lost/stolen mobile devices.
- Know Your Mobile
- Helps people check the authenticity of mobile connections in their name.
- ASTR (Artificial Intelligence and Facial Recognition powered Telecom SIM Subscriber Verification)
- Identifies fraudulent subscribers and prevents misuse of SIMs.
Bharat eMart
- Background: India Post, along with CAIT (Confederation of All India Traders) and Tripta Technologies, launched this initiative.
- Purpose: To provide a logistics and delivery platform for small traders across the country.
- Features:
- Provides pick-up of consignments from traders and ensures delivery at the doorsteps of customers.
- Around 8 crore traders are registered on this platform.
- Helps small traders by providing logistics support → reduces their burden of supply chain.
- Indirectly promotes employment and boosts small businesses.
👉 Think of Bharat eMart as India Post’s own “Amazon-style” platform, but focused on supporting local traders.
Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR)
- What is it? A citizen-centric portal launched by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
- Purpose: To help trace and block lost or stolen mobile devices so that they cannot be misused.
- How it works?
- Once reported, telecom operators block the device across all networks in India.
- To report, the user needs:
- Mobile number of SIM,
- IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number,
- A copy of the purchase invoice.
- Significance: It ensures that stolen devices become useless, discouraging theft and protecting users.
👉 In simple terms, CEIR is like a “blacklist system” for stolen mobiles at the national level.
DARPAN Project (Digital Advancement of Rural Post Office for A New India)
- Aim: To improve service delivery and promote financial inclusion of the unbanked rural population.
- How?
- Provides a low-power technology solution to each Branch Postmaster (BPM).
- A DARPAN-PLI App was launched for easy collection of premiums for Postal Life Insurance (PLI) and Rural Postal Life Insurance (RPLI).
- Impact:
- Empowers post offices in villages with digital tools.
- Makes rural postal services more efficient and transparent.
👉 DARPAN is basically the digital transformation of India Post’s rural branches, making them part of Digital India.
Sampoorna Bima Gram Yojana
- Aim: To provide affordable life insurance to rural households through the postal network.
- Implementation:
- In every revenue district, at least one village with 100+ households is chosen.
- Each household is given at least one RPLI (Rural Postal Life Insurance) policy.
- Special Features of PLI/RPLI:
- Provides insurance to rural and weaker sections.
- Low Premium + High Bonus = unique attraction.
- Integration: All villages covered under Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana are automatically converted into Sampoorna Bima Grams.
👉 This scheme uses India Post’s wide reach to ensure that every rural family has access to insurance, bridging the rural-urban insurance gap.
Deen Dayal SPARSH Yojana
- SPARSH stands for Scholarship for Promotion of Aptitude & Research in Stamps as a Hobby.
- Aim: To promote the collection and study of postal stamps (Philately) among school children.
- Key Feature:
- Students from Class VI to IX with good academic records and an interest in Philately are given annual scholarships.
- This is not just about stamps; it is about cultivating research, curiosity, and preserving India’s postal heritage.
👉 In short, this scheme uses a “hobby” to encourage creativity and learning among children.
Prime Minister Wi-Fi Access Network Interface (PM-WANI)
- Launch: By the Department of Telecommunications in 2020.
- Purpose: To expand public Wi-Fi networks across India and ensure affordable broadband internet for all.
PM-WANI Ecosystem
- Public Data Office (PDO) – Sets up and manages Wi-Fi hotspots.
- Public Data Office Aggregator (PDOA) – Authorises PDOs and handles accounting.
- App Provider – Develops mobile apps to help people find nearby Wi-Fi hotspots and register easily.
- Central Registry – Maintains records of all App Providers and specifications.
👉 PM-WANI is like creating digital “chai tapris” (tea stalls) for internet—Wi-Fi hotspots everywhere, accessible to all, especially in rural and semi-urban areas.
Sangam: Digital Twin Initiative
- Objective: To revolutionize infrastructure planning and design by using futuristic technologies such as:
- Digital Twin Technology – virtual models of physical systems that mimic real-world behavior using sensor data.
- AI and IoT for smart insights.
- 5G/6G communication for high-speed data integration.
Implementation Stages
- Stage I: Exploratory – Define objectives, scope, and impact.
- Stage II: Requirements – Create precise use cases and technical requirements.
Collaborative Approach
- Involves government, academia, and private sector working together.
- Aim is to develop sustainable and innovative infrastructure.
👉 Imagine a “digital twin” of a city: planners can simulate traffic, pollution, or energy consumption in real-time before making actual decisions—saving both money and resources.
Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) Scheme
- Purpose: To fund R&D in rural-specific communication technology.
- Launched: In 2022 by the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF), under Department of Telecommunications.
- Focus:
- Encourage start-ups, research institutes, and industry to develop indigenous telecom technologies.
- Promote solutions designed specifically for rural and remote areas.
- Financial Incentive: Grants are given to Indian entities to create home-grown telecom solutions.
- Implementing Agency: TCOE India (Telecom Centres of Excellence) and C-DOT.
👉 Think of TTDF as the government’s way of saying: “Instead of importing telecom tech, let us build our own, suited to Indian villages.”
