Ashok Gehlot.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Jaipur: The much-hyped free smartphone scheme for women, launched by the previous Congress government, has been put on hold.
The new BJP government is going to review the scheme and take a final call on the continuation of the scheme.
The Indira Gandhi Smartphone scheme was launched by the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government on August 10 in 2023, a few months before the elections.
Under the scheme’s first phase, there were plans to distribute 40 lakh smartphones to three categories of beneficiaries :those who receive pension as widows, women heads of families who have completed 100 days of work under MNREGA and girl students.
BJP had criticised the scheme during the campaign saying it was an attempt to lure the women vote bank.
Today, a debate in the Vidhan Sabha over the continuation of the scheme ensued with the Congress MLA from Bamanwas, Indra Meena, asking the government to provide a straight answer whether the rest of the beneficiaries would be provided with the phones or not.
She asked the government to consider that it is a valuable educational tool as students can study online with it.
She said it was needless to review the scheme and decide on the future course as everybody knows how useful a smartphone is.
Information Technology and Communications minister, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, answering on behalf of the present government said till now at least 24.56 lakh women have received the smartphones with Internet.
But he said the scheme needs to be reviewed and only then its continuation would be decided upon.
The BJP government has stopped the Rajiv Gandhi Yuva Mitra Internship programme, which gave internships to youths on a stipend of Rs 17000 per month.
They have also put a brake on the flagship Chiranjeevi Insurance Scheme and are now publicising the Centre’s Ayushman Bharat Yojana.
The BJP government has also changed the name of Indira Rasoi renaming it Annapura Rasoi.
Meanwhile Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra taunted the BJP for making two-time former chief minister Vasundhara Raje sit in line with the MLAs and Independent MLAs and not even with the ministers.
Criticising the Ayushman Bharat Scheme, Dotasra said only 49 lakh families would be covered under it and the insurance amount was only Rs 5 lakh. He said in contrast Congress had already provided relief to 45 lakh families under Chiranjeevi Yojana worth Rs 5000 crore.