In a smart move to woo Punjab’s “gen-next”, Punjab Congress on Sunday announced to give 50 lakh smartphones with one year of free data and calling to the state’s youth, after coming to power.
Announcing this, the state party chief Capt Amarinder Singh, while launching an unique scheme ‘Captain Smart Connect’ in the presence of thousands of youth from across the state, said that the move is aimed at empowering the youngsters and connecting them digitally with the world.
Capt Amarinder also promised the youth that those who registered themselves for the smartphones would get them within 100 days of the formation of the Congress government in the state.
Within minutes of the launch of the scheme, for which Capt Amarinder had invited the youth via Twitter, several thousand youths had registered on captainsmartconnect.com — a website set up exclusively for the purpose. The last date for registering on the website — the only platform for registration under the scheme — is November 30.
Capt Amarinder’s Facebook profile, which went live with the event, witnessed 1200 likes and 8200 views in the first one hour of the launch.
“The scheme will cost about Rs 300-400 crore a year after the initial investment in the first year. Allocation will be made in the state budget itself to fund the scheme, as part of the youth welfare programme of our government once I take over the reins of the state,” said Capt Amarinder.
Explaining the rationale behind the scheme, Capt Amarinder said that even though one-third of Punjab’s population comprised youth in 18-35 age group, this section remained backward. “large-scale unemployment is pushing youth to drugs and other problems, making it important for the government to connect with them,” he said.
At 13.5 per cent, Punjab had the country’s highest unemployment rate in the age group of 15 to 29 years, said Captain Amarinder, adding that the initiative would enable him, once he is in power, to build the bridges with the youth and provide them with the necessary opportunity for growth by empowering them digitally.
Responding to questions, the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president said the early launch of the scheme would ensure that no time is wasted in its implementation once the Congress forms the government after the Assembly polls.
The scheme is applicable to youth who are residents of Punjab and in the age group of 18-35 years. The youth should be matric-pass, with annual household income less than Rs six lakh, to be eligible for registration.
Youth registering on the website will receive receipts with unique codes, which will entitle them to receive the 4G-enabled smartphone of set specifications – the best in the market at the time of disbursement.