Smartphones free with government’s cash plan

The government’s ‘game-changing’ direct cash transfer scheme will come with a free gift next year — Aadhaar-enabled smartphones for around 400 million of India’s poor. The phones — expected to cost the government Rs. 7,000 crore — will come with 100 hours of free talk time, 500 free SMSes, free internet and a low-rental plan. They will be pre-loaded with mobile banking facilities based on Aadhaar numbers, which means beneficiaries will be saved trips to their bank branches.

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