Free Cellphones To Tackle Poverty?

The launch of the INR 70-billion scheme by the Government of India to give out free mobile phones to every family which falls below the poverty line is undeniably a great attempt to commemorate the 65th anniversary of Indian Independence on August 15 this year. However the implementation is not going to be without challenges.

As per the reports, the scheme is intended to give away mobiles to around six-million BPL (Below Poverty Line) households of the country, majority of whom do not even have access to basic necessities like Roti, Kapda Aur Makaan.

What, however, is the most interesting part of the entire scheme, is the Governments reported arrangement to provide 200 minutes of free local talktime to the consumers. Simply put, it wont matter whether one has access to electricity or water but there wont be any scarcity of communication and entertainment for the common man.

There is, however, one big factor that might challenge the implementation of this philanthropic project. Given the fallout of the Aakash project, it is a little doubtful if these subsidized phones will be durable enough. Even if we leave aside the durability factor, ensuring a consistently good coverage in many rural and semi-urban areas is still a dream.

The scheme will, however, be welcomed by device manufacturers. Also, one presumes that the service provider will be Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL) for this particular project.

Experts have raised doubts if the government is doing anything concrete to keep the tariffs low. "On one side, the government is keen to go for high-spectrum prices which will increase call tariffs, on the other, schemes like this are being planned. It is doubtful that the INR 200-talktime will be offered by [all] service providers for long. What will happen after that? Once you make them [poor people] habitual of using mobile phones for free, what will they do when the scheme is withdrawn?" says Deepak Kumar, an independent telecom research analyst.

Let's just hope that the stage is not set for another scam and that there will be enough supply of electricity to charge these mobile phones. Happy Independence Day!

Jatinder Singh, Principal Correspondent, Light Reading India