New Delhi: The Union Cabinet has approved a scheme to provide mobile connections to uncovered villages in aspirational districts in five states. The programme was initiated in 2016 with the goal of constructing or upgrading 5,412 km of road and 126 important bridges in 44 districts across nine states. Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh are among them. 4,490 kilometres of road and 105 bridges have already been finished. The project is estimated to cost Rs 11,725 crore.

The decision was made during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, according to an official statement.

"The project aims to provide 4G-based mobile services in 7,287 uncovered villages across 44 aspirational districts in the five states at a cost of Rs 6,466 crore, including operational expenses for five years," according to the press release. "The Universal Service Obligation Fund would fund the project (USOF). The project will be finished within 18 months of the agreement's signing, with a target completion date of November 23 "It was also added. According to existing USOF regulations, work relating to the supply of 4G mobile services in specified uncovered villages will be given through an open competitive bidding process.

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