Swati Kerkar of the Congress said, “The scheme as detailed in the tender document is meant only to entice voters and will not provide any guaranteed direct or indirect benefit to the youth. The tender document claims that the objective of this scheme is ‘providing these services is to include youth of all the strata in the age group of 18-35 years estimated to be approximately around 1,50,000 under digital revolution for enabling them to access ample of opportunities though learning, networking and internet.’ However, there is no study conducted to prove that the youth will indeed benefit through this scheme.”
“On the contrary, such free internet SIM cards will benefit only those who can afford a cell phone and those who cannot, will be left out. Also, without checks and monitoring, students will end up wasting time on social media and may even abuse the scheme by accessing porn,” she said.
The Congress has suggested that the government should have implemented a holistic online learning programme which includes giving free Wi-Fi to all the colleges, schools and libraries with free high speed internet access and also access to online courses as well as coaching for entrance exams.
“This scheme is a waste of taxpayer money and leaves huge scope for corruption just like another ill-planned scheme like the tablet/cyber age scheme. Thus, Congress demands that this tender be withdrawn immediately and implement a more holistic learning program like the one briefly mentioned above,” Congress spokesperson Avinash Tavares demanded.
