The Punjab Cabinet on Thursday has approved the modalities for distributing Mobile Phones to the state's youth. The Decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting headed by the Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh at Anaj Mandi. The State Government had announced its ‘Mobile Phones to the Youth’ scheme, in line with its poll promise, and the due allocation of funds was made in the budget for 2018-19.

Vendor to be selected through an open bidding process

According to the official press release, the vendor to implement the scheme would be selected through an open transparent bidding process. The tender document would be floated by Punjab Information Technology Corporation Ltd. The vendor would be on board within a period of about two months, and the first batch of phones is expected to be distributed in December 2019.

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Phones for Class 11 and 12 girls in first phase

An official spokesperson said that in the first phase, the mobile phones would be distributed to girl students who do not own a smartphone and are studying in Class 11 and 12 in the Government schools in Punjab, in the current financial year. The phones would have various smart features such as touch screen, camera, and applications to access social media, etc. 

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The scheme was announced in the wake of Assembly polls

In the wake of the 2017 assembly elections, the Punjab Congress had promised to distribute mobile phones to around 50 lakh youth, however, owing to the State's financial condition, the number of mobile phones to be distributed reduced after the party came to power. The government had announced the ‘Mobile Phones to the Youth’ scheme in its 2017-18 election campaign. The scheme is aimed at providing the youth with digital access. The scheme also aims to provide access to educational information, career opportunities, access to skill development and basic citizen services. The scheme would also pump the digital empowerment of the youth.

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