Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani,Minister of State for Telecom
The minister said India’s fraud alert system has helped prevent suspected losses of around Rs 5,000 crore.
New Delhi: Fraudulent activities carried out through calls and messages have become a global threat, Minister of State for Telecom Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani said on Wednesday.
While speaking at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-26) in Doha, the minister presented India’s approach to digital connectivity, emerging technologies and cybersecurity.
The minister said the next billion users will come from villages, islands and remotest corners and that, along with expanding telecom network coverage, trust in technology is equally important.
“Trust is equally important. Fraud through calls and messages is a global threat,” he said.
The minister said India’s fraud alert system has helped prevent suspected losses of around Rs 5,000 crore.
He said over the past decade, India built digital infrastructure at scale.
The government had earlier reported that its Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI) mechanism had helped prevent suspected financial losses of Rs 5,043.73 crore as of August 2026.
He highlighted India’s efforts to expand affordable digital connectivity, noting that around 2.2 billion people worldwide remain offline.
The minister cited India’s investment of approximately USD 15 billion in the BharatNet programme, aimed at expanding broadband connectivity in rural areas.
He also highlighted the Samriddh Gram Centres, which provide villagers access to healthcare services, agricultural advice, banking facilities and government certificates.
India’s initiatives in affordable artificial intelligence computing, indigenous language AI models, quantum research and the establishment of 100 5G use-case laboratories were also discussed during his address.
The minister stressed the importance of ensuring that emerging technologies remain accessible and affordable, particularly for developing countries.
“Internet subscriptions have grown from 250 million to over 1.1 billion today. 5G reaches 99.9 per cent of our districts. Through BharatNet, our national rural network, over 220,000 village councils are broadband-ready, and we are investing a further USD 15 billion to expand it,” Pemmasani said.