Online registration for free Samajwadi smartphones by month-end
LUCKNOW: The state government would open online registration for free Samajwadi smartphone scheme announced by chief minister Akhilesh Yadav by the month-end, according to sources.
The beneficiaries would be given free smartphones in the latter half of 2017 only if the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) gets to form the government again. The scheme has also drawn the attention of cellphone companies which have started showing up with a proposal to set up manufacturing facilities in Uttar Pradesh.
“We had made a similar promise for free laptops in our poll manifesto. We have already distributed 18 lakhs laptops. The target for smartphones is five times more,” said an official requesting anonymity. He said the registration process would be opened in phases and arrangements were being made for a formal launch.
Offers for setting up manufacturing clusters for mobile handsets are also pouring in. Mobile company Oppo’s global vicepresident and CEO of Micromax Group Rajesh Agarwal have already approached chief minister Akhilesh Yadav with a proposal to set up a mobile manufacturing unit at Greater Noida or Yamuna Expressway electronic manufacturing cluster.
The companies intend to touch a capacity of manufacturing five crore mobile phones in next three years with an estimated investment of Rs 1000 crore on its own and Rs 1000 crore would be invested by its partner companies, taking the total investment to Rs. 2000 crore. They have sought 150-acre of land for the project that would create direct and indirect jobs for 60,000 people.
The CM requested the delegation to identify land for the proposed project and to start work on the project at the earliest. Other than this, the chief minister also handed over the land allotment letter for 16.88 acre land for establishing a factory in the electronics manufacturing cluster at greater Noida.
This factory would produce 60 lakh mobile phones every year. It may be pointed out here that under this policy, investors are given a 25% rebate on land costs and many other financial benefits.