Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has kickstarted the distribution of free smartphones under the ‘Free Smartphone Scheme,’ signalling a new era of digital advancement in Rajasthan. The launch event took place at Jaipur’s renowned Birla Auditorium, where CM Gehlot handed out smartphones to women and girls, marking the commencement of this transformative initiative. Simultaneously, distribution camps at the district level are ensuring that eligible women across the state receive smartphones. This significant step coincided with a rally led by Rahul Gandhi in Banswara on Wednesday.
Empowering 80 Lakh Women with Smartphones
As a remarkable facet of this endeavour, each female head of households within the state will be equipped with a smartphone. This translates to an estimated 1.40 crore women in Rajasthan being eligible beneficiaries of the scheme. Given the constraints arising from the global shortage of approximately 1.5 crore semiconductor chips, distributing smartphones to all eligible women simultaneously proved impractical. Therefore, the distribution strategy has been thoughtfully divided into multiple phases. In the initial phase, 40 lakh women are scheduled to receive smartphones.
During the distribution event, CM Gehlot announced that the subsequent phase aims to provide smartphones to an additional 8 lakh women, further expanding the reach of this transformative initiative.
Global Chip Shortage Impacts Smartphone Rollout
The global scarcity of semiconductor chips, intensified by the pandemic, has posed challenges to smartphone availability worldwide. Acknowledging this concern, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot shed light on the critical role played by semiconductor chips in mobile devices. Consequently, the government has taken a phased approach to ensure the equitable distribution of smartphones. Due to the limited availability of around 1.5 crore chips on a global scale, a multi-phased distribution plan has been devised. CM Gehlot disclosed that the government has initiated tender processes with various companies, with efforts focused on synchronizing smartphone distribution with chip availability.
Pioneering the ‘Indira Gandhi Free Smartphone Scheme’ Revolution
CM Ashok Gehlot emphasized that the ‘Indira Gandhi Free Smartphone Scheme’ is poised to spearhead a new revolution in Rajasthan. By leveraging smartphones, the scheme aims to facilitate the dissemination of crucial information about government initiatives to every household. The scheme additionally offers three years of complimentary internet connectivity alongside the smartphone.
This strategic move will enhance accessibility to comprehensive information about both national and global developments. CM Gehlot underscored that this visionary step resonates with Rajiv Gandhi’s aspirations for a digital revolution in the nation. In a world increasingly reliant on computers, the integration of smartphones propels digitalization to greater heights, enabling access to a myriad of services through a single device. By ensuring smartphone distribution to every household, the Rajasthan government takes a momentous stride towards enhancing digitalization and technological progress.
