Guwahati, Jul 27 (IANS): Union Minister of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) and Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Saturday that within the next year earlier telecom connectivity would be extended to 100 per cent of villages in the country.

The Union Minister said that special funds of Rs 26,500 crore have been sanctioned by the Cabinet for the expansion of telecommunication network in all villages and he has himself been monitoring the progress of work on a weekly basis.

He said that the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) is committed to 100 per cent saturation. “We have identified around 24,000 odd villages in the country that still need saturation in terms of telecom communications. Out of 24,000 villages, 13,000-14,000 villages have already been covered,” the DoNER and Communications Minister told the media in Guwahati.

A special scheme to extend telecommunication networks in all villages has already been rolled out and funds were sanctioned for the purpose, he said.

He said that despite terrain-related problems, areas in the northeastern states are among these villages, and strategies are being worked out to reach these places and telecommunications would be extended there.

Provisions of the new telecom Act enable setting up required infrastructure and mixed technologies, like V-SAT and satellite, are being utilised with the “target of cent per cent saturation within 12 months, he said.