About Rs.10,000 crore will be spent in the current financial year from the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) to execute various digital infrastructure projects to boost connectivity in rural areas, a senior telecom ministry official said.
This amount “is the highest in the history of USOF,” Telecom Secretary J. S. Deepak told delegates at a seminar on 'ICT emerging technologies & USOF for Digital India.'
The USO Fund is maintained by the government. Under the New Telecom Policy, a provision was made to raise money for this fund through a ‘Universal Access Levy’, charged from operators as a percentage of various licenses fees being paid by them.
“The Finance Ministry is very conservative in allocation of funds under USOF,” Mr. Deepak said. Despite Rs.70,000 crore available under the fund allocation of work is less than 40 per cent, he said.
