The Punjab government on Wednesday took a major digital leap forward with the state-wide launch of its Rs 92 crore ‘Punjab Smart Connect Scheme’ .After handing over smartphones to six Class XII students, Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh said, “In the present pandemic situation, these phones had assumed a bigger importance as they had become a necessity for education continuity.” When the Congress listed smartphones as a poll promise, it was to provide global connectivity and empower the poor youth who could not afford them, he added.
Meanwhile, various other ministers and MLAs also distributed smartphones at 26 different places across the state. The scheme, for which Rs 100 crore was allocated in the state budget for 2017- 18, is benefitting a total of 1,74,015 Class XII students of government schools in the first phase, to be completed by November 2020. Of these, 87,395 are boys and 86,620 girls, with the majority in the OBC and SC/ST categories.