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Government SchemesMedium

Digital Bharat Nidhi, one of the parties to the Tamil Nadu BharatNet agreement, is the renamed form of which fund?

  1. A.Universal Service Obligation Fund
  2. B.National Investment and Infrastructure Fund
  3. C.Telecom Technology Development Fund
  4. D.National Broadband Mission Fund

Correct answer

A. Universal Service Obligation Fund

Explanation

The correct answer is the Universal Service Obligation Fund. Digital Bharat Nidhi is that fund under a new name. It was set up under the Indian Telegraph (Amendment) Act of 2003, and the Telecommunications Act of 2023 rechristened it Digital Bharat Nidhi. It is an attached office of the Department of Telecommunications in the Ministry of Communications, and its mandate is to push telecom access and delivery into rural, remote and underserved urban areas. Apart from BharatNet, the fund pays for the 4G saturation project and for mobile services in uncovered parts of aspirational districts, in Left Wing Extremism affected areas, in Himalayan and border regions, on islands and in the North East. The other three options name funds and missions that do not match: none of them was renamed Digital Bharat Nidhi, and none of them is the statutory universal service fund of the telecom department, so they cannot be the answer here.

Read the full article: BharatNet Pact Links 4,767 Tamil Nadu Villages on Demand

Q1.Government SchemesEasy

Under the utilisation agreement signed for Tamil Nadu, how many villages are to be given connectivity on a demand basis?

  1. A.2,767 villages
  2. B.4,767 villages
  3. C.5,767 villages
  4. D.3,476 villages
Show answer
Correct answer: B. 4,767 villages

The utilisation agreement signed at Sanchar Bhawan in New Delhi carries two separate commitments for Tamil Nadu: subsidy support for more than five lakh fibre connections reaching rural homes, and connectivity on a demand basis for 4,767 villages so that the remaining last-mile gaps in the state are closed.

Q2.Government SchemesMedium

On which date did the Union Cabinet approve the Amended BharatNet Programme?

  1. A.4 August 2021
  2. B.15 August 2022
  3. C.4 August 2023
  4. D.1 April 2019
Show answer
Correct answer: C. 4 August 2023

The Union Cabinet approved the Amended BharatNet Programme on that day, with the stated aim of upgrading, consolidating and expanding the BharatNet network already laid, so that every gram panchayat and, on a demand basis, every village gets robust and future-ready broadband.

Q3.Government SchemesEasy

Which state corporation signed the BharatNet utilisation agreement along with Digital Bharat Nidhi and the state government?

  1. A.Tamil Nadu FibreNet Corporation
  2. B.Bharat Broadband Network Limited
  3. C.RailTel Corporation of India
  4. D.Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Tamil Nadu FibreNet Corporation

The agreement at Sanchar Bhawan was a three-way one: Digital Bharat Nidhi under the Department of Telecommunications, the Government of Tamil Nadu, and TANFINET, which is the state agency that will carry the work on the ground under the state-led model.