Gehlot Criticises Govt for Halting Smartphone Scheme for Women

Had the number of women using the internet in Rajasthan increased, the state's GDP would have also seen a boost ASHOK GEHLOT, Congress leader

- HT Correspondent

JAIPUR: Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday criticised the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state government for halting the scheme providing smartphones to women, with the senior Congress leader claiming that the initiative could have significantly boosted Rajasthan's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

In a post on X, Gehlot talked about the scheme launched by the previous state government led by him. The scheme provided smartphones with internet connectivity to all women heads of Chiranjeevi families in Rajasthan totalling 11.9 women in the state. The scheme was aimed at empowering women with digital tools and access to online resources.

"With the aim of women empowerment, our government started giving smartphones with internet connectivity for three years to all the 1.19 crore Chiranjeevi family women heads of the state," he said on X. The first phase of the scheme saw around 3.5 million women receive smartphones, he added.