Despite the government’s ambitious Digital India initiative, as many as 238 villages in Odisha’s Koraput and Rayagada districts continue to remain without access to 4G or 5G mobile connectivity, highlighting a significant digital divide in the state’s tribal and remote regions.
Official data shows that out of 459 sanctioned mobile towers across the two districts, 386 have already been installed. However, functional 4G services are still unavailable in hundreds of villages, leaving residents struggling to access essential digital services.
Ground reports from Chitrakonda in Malkangiri district and remote pockets of Gunupur in Rayagada paint a grim picture. Locals are often forced to climb hills or even trees to catch weak mobile signals. In many cases, residents depend on networks from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh to complete critical tasks such as Aadhaar updates, health insurance enrolment, e-KYC for ration cards, and online education.
Speaking to Odisha Television, Koraput Lok Sabha MP Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka alleged that tribal-dominated blocks such as Narayanpatna, Lamtaput, Nandapur, Chandrapur, Gunupur, Muniguda, and Bissamcuttack have been consistently neglected. “How will government schemes reach people if there is no mobile connectivity? I feel we are being ignored because we are tribals,” he said.
