BSNL Gifts Free Cellphones to Rural Poor in Rajasthan

1,000 members of BPL (Below Poverty Line) families from Rajasthan were given a free mobile phone (with a SIM card) each yesterday by BSNL, as part of their corporate social responsibility program.

The event took place in Phagi, a part of Ajmer District and BSNL claims that Rs. 12.85 lakh was spent on the scheme. While the government obviously claims that the entire event was a success, some media outlets have a different point of view. A story on IBN Live opines that instead of gifting mobile phones to villagers, they would have gained more from distribution of free grain (which had been otherwise lying unused and rotting in state warehouses).

While, we at PC World India try to keep our stories clean of sermonizing especially in matters political, we can’t help but feel that the journalist has a point. This comes to light especially when the story quotes a villager as saying that they didn’t understand what they could do with the mobiles and would have rather preferred the food grains.

Looking at the issue from the government’s point-of-view, it does seem like a no-lose situation to hand out mobile phones especially taking into consideration the way technology (especially the Internet) has permeated in some manner to rural India.

Maybe if the government does follow up with free grain distribution soon, this story may get a completely unapologetic happy ending.

(image courtesy of ibnlive.com)