Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Thursday, 28 May 2026, voiced strong support for the Centre's BharatNet-3 scheme, calling it a 'powerful foundation for digital connectivity and new possibilities' in the state. He said thousands of villages in the forested vananchal (forest belt) region would now join the mainstream of Digital India through mobile networks and high-speed internet.

In his post on X, CM Sai wrote: 'The double-engine government's BharatNet-3 scheme will become a strong foundation for digital connectivity and new possibilities in Chhattisgarh. Thousands of villages in the forest belt will now connect to the mainstream of Digital India through mobile networks and fast internet.' He added that the initiative would improve communication in remote areas, make government services more accessible and transparent, and open new opportunities for children to access modern education.

Context

BharatNet is India's national optical fibre broadband project, first approved by the Union Cabinet in October 2011, with the original mandate to connect 2.5 lakh gram panchayats across the country. Phases I and II were executed between 2014 and 2022, extending connectivity to gram panchayats in several states including Chhattisgarh. The third phase, BharatNet-3, is designed to reach villages and habitations not yet covered by earlier phases.

Chhattisgarh is a central Indian state with vast forested and tribal regions. A significant share of its population lives in remote vananchal villages where terrain and low population density have historically made private telecom investment unviable, leaving communities dependent on government-led infrastructure drives.

Policy Backdrop

BharatNet sits under the broader Digital India programme, launched in 2015, which aims to transform India into a digitally empowered society through improved infrastructure, e-governance, and rural internet access. The scheme is centrally funded and implemented in coordination with state governments, making the alignment between the BJP-led Union government and BJP-led state governments — what CM Sai refers to as the 'double-engine government' — a key operational factor in faster rollout.

CM Sai, who took charge as Chief Minister in December 2023, has consistently emphasised development in tribal and rural belts as a priority. His endorsement of BharatNet-3 fits within that stated agenda, linking last-mile connectivity to wider goals of service delivery and educational access.

Stakeholders and Impact

The communities most directly affected are rural villagers and tribal populations in Chhattisgarh's interior districts, where mobile network coverage remains patchy. Reliable internet access would enable residents to use government portals for welfare scheme applications, health information, and land records — services that currently require travel to district headquarters.

School students in remote areas stand to gain access to digital learning resources, bridging an educational gap that widened during the pandemic years. Local entrepreneurs and self-help groups could also benefit from e-commerce and digital payment infrastructure once connectivity improves.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to the operational details of BharatNet-3's rollout in Chhattisgarh — specifically the timeline for works to begin, the number of villages to be covered, and how the new fibre infrastructure will be integrated with the state's e-governance portals and school digital programmes. The pace at which the state government coordinates with the Union's nodal agency will determine whether the connectivity gains translate into the service-delivery improvements CM Sai has outlined. A credible implementation schedule is the next concrete milestone to watch.