The 7th Meeting of the State Broadband Committee (SBC) of Himachal Pradesh was held on 24th February 2026 under the chairmanship of Shri Sanjay Gupta, Chief Secretary to the Government of Himachal Pradesh. The State Broadband Committee, under the National Broadband Mission, is dedicated to accelerating broadband expansion across the State by ensuring compliance with telecom regulations, facilitating infrastructure development, and monitoring progress through coordinated State and District-level efforts to drive inclusive socio-economic growth.
The meeting was convened by Shri Anil Kumar Gupta, Addl. DGT/ Advisor, Himachal Pradesh Licensed Service Area (HP LSA), Department of Telecommunications (Member Convenor) with Chandra Bhushan Singh, DDG (Rural), HP LSA, Department of Telecommunications (DoT). Shri Devesh Kumar, Pr. Secretary to Government of HP, Shri Ashish Singhmar, Secretary (DDTG) Government of HP along with other esteemed committee members attended the meeting. Representatives of BSNL, DIPA and COAI were also participated in the meeting.
In the meeting, key issues related to telecommunications were discussed. Shri Chandra Bhushan Singh, Deputy Director General (Rural), informed that to provide high-speed mobile connectivity and broadband facilities to all rural and remote areas of India, the Department of Telecommunications, Government of India, under the Digital Bharat Nidhi has two major schemes – the 4G Saturation Scheme and the BharatNet Project. In Himachal Pradesh, under the 4G Saturation Scheme, 572 sites have been established so far. Under the Amended BharatNet Project, 3,615 Gram Panchayats and, as per demand, 15,538 villages are planned to be connected with high-speed broadband through optical fiber in Himachal Pradesh. The work is in progress, and the target for completing this project is February 2028.
In addition, discussions were also held on key issues such as the Common Duct and Infrastructure Sharing Policy, Composite Billing and Smart Metering, matters related to Right of Way (RoW), the use of the “Call Before You Dig (CBuD)” App, and GIS mapping of street furniture.
Shri Sandeep Arya, DDG (Technology), HP LSA, DoT briefed the Citizen Centric Services of Department of Telecommunications to the esteemed members present in the meeting.
The Chairman SBC directed stakeholders to take necessary steps for timely resolution of the issues discussed. The meeting was very fruitful, with constructive discussions aimed at strengthening telecom infrastructure and enhancing digital connectivity across the state.