Handset maker Micromax has joined hands with the Chhattisgarh government to distribute 50 lakh smartphones to women and students in the state. Under the Sanchar Kranti Yojana project, 45 lakh smartphones are being given to women and the remaining will be distributed to college students in the state. These smartphones are being given with a Reliance Jio connection. According to a PTI report, the project has been given through a tender process and a deal of Rs 1,500 crore was signed earlier this year with distribution starting end of July.
“About 10,000 camps are being organised under the project and deliveries have already started. Every beneficiary, chosen by the state government, is handed the device personally after activating it with Reliance Jio connection. The authentication of the beneficiary is done using Aadhaar,” PTI quoted Micromax co-founder Vikas Jain as saying. According to Jain, the project has covered a large part of the population and the company has reserved space in 15 warehouses in the state to ensure timely distribution of the handsets. “For carrying out the project, we hired about 2,000-2,500 temporary staff… We expect to complete deliveries to all beneficiaries in the next few weeks,” he added.
For Alex Paul Menon, Chhattisgarh Infotech Promotion Society CEO, the initiative will help make Chhattisgarh a digitally empowered state. The devices that are being given to women have a configuration of 4-inch display, 1GB RAM/8GB storage, while the handsets given to students feature a 5-inch display and 2GB RAM/16GB storage.
Meanwhile, Reliance Jio will provide the beneficiaries 1GB 4G data, 100 minutes voice calls and 100 SMS per month for six months, following which they will be offered affordable tariff plans. “The SKY project is a key development initiative to deliver digital inclusion, e-Governance and faster economic development in Chhattisgarh. Jio is happy to be a part of this digital initiative to connect the unconnected,” a Reliance Jio spokesperson was quoted as saying.