Finance Minister O at India Mobile Congress 2025. P. Chaudhary presented Chhattisgarh’s digital progress, data center investment, satellite connectivity and the plan to provide high-speed internet to gram panchayats under BharatNet Phase-III.
Raipur. Under the leadership of Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Dev Sai, the digital progress and technological potential of Chhattisgarh was presented on the national platform. State Finance and Cabinet Minister Shri O. P. Chaudhary represented Chhattisgarh. He said that the joint efforts of the Central and State Governments to develop telecommunication infrastructure are an excellent example of cooperative federalism.
Direction of digital and telecom development of Chhattisgarh
In his address, Shri Choudhary laid special emphasis on topics like mobile network expansion, investment in information technology, cyber security, data center development and promotion of new technologies. He presented concrete arguments to Union Communications Minister Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia for mobile tower and high-speed internet expansion in the state. Along with this, he also invited other states to set up data centers and disaster recovery sites in Chhattisgarh, because the seismic risk here is less.
Commitment to rapid development of telecommunication infrastructure
In this conference organized under the chairmanship of Shri Scindia, Telecom Minister of the Government of India, Shri Chaudhary said that the state government is fully committed to rapidly developing the telecommunication infrastructure. He said that Chhattisgarh has notified the Government of India’s Right of Way (ROW) Rules, 2024 with effect from January 1, 2025 and now the state will also be onboarded on the central ROW portal.
Network expansion in LWE affected and remote areas
Shri Chaudhary said that telecommunication expansion in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected districts is the priority of the government. About 1,600 mobile towers are being installed in sparsely populated and security-sensitive areas of the state. He urged that Chhattisgarh should be given special category concession in LWE Phase-I and II, Aspirational Districts and 4G Saturation schemes, so that network connectivity can be further strengthened.
Dharti Aaba Scheme and Satellite Connectivity Proposal
Given the challenges of network expansion in remote forest areas of the State, Shri Choudhary stressed the need for state-specific planning and approval of additional towers under the new “Dharti Aaba Scheme”. He said that where it is difficult to establish mobile network, satellite based connectivity projects should be approved.
High-speed internet to Gram Panchayats under BharatNet Phase-III
The Finance Minister said that Chhattisgarh Government has sent a proposal of ₹ 3,761.15 crore to the Central Government for BharatNet Project Phase-III under Digital India Fund. With this, 5,659 gram panchayats of the state will get high-speed internet connectivity through optical fiber. He urged that this proposal should be approved soon so that telemedicine, e-governance and digital payment services can be made available in rural areas. This will also give new impetus to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s goal of “Digital India”.
Chhattisgarh moving towards cyber security and data center development
Shri Choudhary gave information about the State Data Center and Managed Security Operation Center (MSOC) being established by the state in the field of cyber security. He said that due to its geographical location, surplus power availability, Seismic Zone-II classification and attractive investment policy, Chhattisgarh is becoming the emerging data center hub of the country.
AI-Optimized Data Center Park and New Investment Proposal
Rank Bank Data Centers in Raipur has launched India’s first AI-Optimized Data Center Park with an initial investment of ₹1,000 crore. The facility is spread over 13.5 acres, provides 80 MW capacity and will house 1 lakh GPUs. This will create over 500 high-skilled jobs, and the investment will reach ₹3,000 crore over the next five years. Apart from this, ESDS Software Solutions has proposed to set up an AI-based advanced data center in Raipur with an investment of ₹600 crore.
Invitation to other states and institutions to invest in Chhattisgarh
On this occasion, Shri Chaudhary invited the Central Government, PSUs and other states to set up Disaster Recovery Data Center in Chhattisgarh. He said that the state government is fully committed to rapidly providing necessary facilities and permissions to all investors through a single window system.
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