According to a notification issued by the state agriculture department, the Gujarat government has decided to provide financial assistance of up to Rs 1500 to farmers in the state for the purchase of a smartphone. The Union government, led by Gujarat-born Prime Minister Narendra Modi, recently repealed the contentious farm laws that had sparked nationwide protests.
About the Scheme:
The scheme is intended to encourage farmers to purchase smartphones that can be used for a variety of purposes to increase farm income, at a time when the prevalence of digital services in agriculture is increasing by the day, according to the statement.
Any landholding farmer in Gujarat can apply for assistance of 10% of the total cost of a smartphone not exceeding Rs 1,500 on i-khedut Portal to take advantage of this scheme, according to a Government Resolution (GR) issued on Saturday by the state's Agriculture, Farmers Welfare and Cooperation Department.
It stated that the assistance is only valid for the cost of the smartphone and not for any other accessories such as a power backup device, earphones, chargers, and so on. This scheme is available to all landholding farmers, but only one beneficiary in a joint holding farm will be eligible.
"The smartphone will make it simple for a farmer to access information such as weather forecasts, potential pest infestations, various agriculture department schemes, modern farm techniques, expert opinion, and others," it said.
"The smartphone can also be used by farmers to apply online for various state government schemes meant for them by using smartphone facilities such as camera, emails, texts, and multimedia services, GPS, web browser, internet connectivity, and so on," the GR said.
Once the application is approved, the beneficiary farmers must provide a copy of the smartphone's purchase bill, mobile IMEI number, a canceled cheque, and other documents.
