Indian poor families may get free mobile

NEW DELHI: The UPA government is planning to give one mobile phone to every family living below the poverty line.

According to the media reports, the scheme called 'Har Haath Mein Mobile' meant to benefit a few million families is expected to be announced by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Independence Day, August 15. These families will also receive free 200 minutes of free local talk time.

The decision which may cost the Congress thousands of crores can draw flak from the opposition and the critics as the main requirement for a poor man to survive in these testing times is food and not a mobile to communicate.

"Give electricity first, how will a poor man charge the mobile when there is no electricity? The government does not have a mechanism to track corruption while implementing these schemes. This is a pure election gimmick to divert attention of the people from the realities of today's times," said Balbir Punj, BJP leader. (Monitoring Desk)