Will the Minister of SPACE be pleased to state:-

(a) whether the satellites of Indian Space Research Organisation have contributed in improving the facilities of telecommunication, distance education, tele-medicine, etc. in rural and far-flung areas of the country;

(b) if so, the extent to which the improvements have been achieved;

(c) whether any utility study has been conducted by the Government in this regard;

(d) if so, the details thereof; and

(e) the time by which the country is likely to get maximum facilities through the network of satellites by their optimum use?
ANSWER: MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRIES OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS, PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES & PENSIONS AND IN PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE (SHRI V.NARAYANASAMY):

(a) Yes, Sir.

(b) The extent to which the improvements brought by the satellite include:

(i) Television: Direct To Home (DTH) Satellite Television coverage of 100% area and 100% population of Indian mainland;

(ii) Telecommunication: About 1.20 Lakh VSATs providing applications like data & video connectivity, village telephony, broadband connectivity, ATMs, cellular phone back-haul etc.,

(iii) Tele-Education: 55,500 classrooms connected through satellite networking, of which 51,500 are Receive Only Terminals (ROTs) and 4000 are Satellite Interactive Terminals (SITs) catering to all the sectors of education from primary to higher and professional education, and

(iv) Telemedicine: 60 speciality hospitals connected to 306 remote and rural hospitals and 16 Mobile Vans.

(c) Yes, Sir.

(d) & (e) India is likely to get maximum facilities through additional satellites in a phased manner.

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